QUARTERLY SOUTH LIBERTY COUNTY
Premier Fall-Winter 2015
Progress Edition
BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL
County Judge Jay Knight Man on a mission
Texas Target Communities The Chosen Ones
Living the Volunteer Spirit Rural Healthcare Phenomenal
Economic Development Fitting the pieces together ##
South Liberty County Quarterly
2015 Fall-Winter
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Letter from the
Editor CAROL SKEWES Editor & Publisher CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bonita Davis Alana Inman Lisa Meisch Anikka Rogers Jacob Stewart
W
e live with constant change and need information, directly related to our community, to help us navigate our daily life. South Liberty County is changing in many good ways and progress can be seen all around us. We are happy to offer the premier edition of
STAFF Kim Marlow, Feature Writing & Advertising Toni Cooper, Circulation Jennifer Gray, Accounting Carol Skewes, Editor & Publisher
INDEX Business ............................................................... 4 Texas Target Communities .................................. 7 The Do-Gooders ................................................ 10 Sam Houston Regional Library & Research Center ............................................. 18 Health ................................................................. 20 Education ........................................................... 26 Economic Development .................................... 36 Fitting the Pieces................................................ 41 Small Business ................................................... 45 Finance ............................................................... 47
SOUTH LIBERTY COUNTY QUARTERLY, A Progress Edition. This dynamic magazine highlights successes in the communities of Ames, Daisetta, Dayton, Devers, Hardin, Hull, Liberty, Kenefick, Moss Hill, Moss Bluff and Raywood. Features include: Business, Education, Entertainment & the Arts, Finance, Agriculture & Industry, Healthy Living and ‘Service Above Self’ (the do-gooders), movers & shakers of South Liberty County. If someone were to ask you what will South Liberty County look like in the future, what would you say? We asked. This exciting premiere edition offers fresh stories and a voice, giving proper attention to residents and business owners throughout our area. We will be looking back at where we have been and forecasting toward where we are headed. Each Quarterly magazine will have stories about people like you, the people that are South Liberty County: stories about the progress we are making and the dreams we hope to fulfill. South Liberty County is brimming with good news and interesting people.
CALVIN H. WESTCOTT, Agent 201 East Clayton Dayton, Tx 77535-1315 Bus (936) 258-8218 Fax (936) 258-3388 Toll-Free (800) 444-3509 calvinwestcott.com
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COUNTY JUDGE JAY KNIGHT
A man with a mission
Business as unusual BY CAROL SKEWES Publisher publisher@libertycountyquarterly.com Liberty County Judge Jay Knight
L
iberty County Judge Jay Knight has not slowed down since he took office. His fiddle, “Catfish,” sits in his office and when he can, he practices during his lunch hour, but he is a busy man. The judge embraces change and says, “We are getting change like they turned on the water hose.” “It’s a job. It’s not a position. It’s not as political to me as it is a business. You run it like a business. The thing I look at is all this stuff is on the horizon.” What’s on the horizon, Judge? “We knew the grand parkway was coming, with exponential growth.” More on that in a moment. Good government. People want it but it 4
costs. Will taxes be raised? “No. You raise the tax rate, you kill the economy. “The way you grow an economy is you bring industry. With industry, retail follows and all the support businesses to that industry follow as well. But don’t raise the tax rate, or you will kill a bunch of little businesses around here. People cannot afford to go up any higher. “Although the appraisals are up, we stayed with the existing tax rate. “The effective rate would have put us dead in the water as far as the opportunity to give raises and create a purchasing department, which is something we have been needing for years. “Harold Seay and I started talking about
the change when I came to work in January. “I came from TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice), the largest prison system in the United States. We had a large purchasing department and purchasing within the different divisions. Population growth “Any county that is over 100,000 in population has a purchasing department. In the next census, we will be over 100,000 and we are trying to get a step ahead.” The county has had a purchasing department before, according to Harold Seay, but they had no authority. Departments did not have to use it. Now they do. Judge Knight continued, “We have purchasing power with a purchasing department, buying in bulk. If we can get a better
South Liberty County Quarterly
deal in bulk price, why not do it? If it meets the standards, then go for it. There has been so much leakage in the budget over the years, we have to get a reign on it. It has been a free-for-all. “Why not get a leash on this thing, reign it back in and be smart about this. “This is not business as usual. It is business as unusual. I look for the purchasing department to pay for itself.” Harold Seay is now the county purchasing agent, after doing the purchasing as county auditor for over 30 years. DeWayne Gott is now the county auditor by order of the district judges. The newly created purchasing department will enhance transparency. Continued on 5 2015 Fall-Winter
Judge Jay Knight Continued from 4
On the Grand Parkway Judge Knight and county commissioners had been attending Grand Parkway meetings (always without a walking quorum) to gather information on the Grand Parkway. Judge Knight said, “There is a lot of farmland out there. Growing up I had the key to all of it, 16,000 acres. My father (the late Joe Audway, Sr.) was over American Rice Growers, Dayton Canal Company and American Rice, Inc. He introduced things like market hedging and futures markets for the farmers. He brought in securities guys to help them invest their money, things they had never had before. There were a lot of rich farmers. When the market fell out of farming in 1979, I remember it quite well. I was in graduate school at A&M. The Ayatollah had taken hostages and Jimmy Carter was president. “Looking at what happened then, President Jimmy Carter imposed a grain embargo to punish Russia. The rice farming business suffered. It was their biggest export to Russia. “The price of a 100-weight of rice went down to roughly one third of the previous price overnight. You could not grow it for what they were selling it for. Then they started selling to third world countries, who, in turn, sold to Russia at a profit. “Next Reagan came in. “The hostages were turned loose, and things got better, but the embargo did not go away. “The farmers suffered. They learned quickly to leave their tractors in the shed. They received government subsidies for not farming. It changed the whole outlook for “Liberty County. Farming, cattle, oil and companies for such suffered. “There is all this land sitting out there. “I came into office and I am expected to put this to good use. He reiterated, “The way to build an economy is through industry. Anything we consider at commissioners court will be considered with jobs. “We are working to get our 380/381 (tax abatement) policy in-line with what the cities offer. I would rather companies come to the county first. “You can’t grow an economy on the backs of taxpayers. You have to bring in industry. With more development coming in, population growth will require more law enforcement and fire protection. The growth will come in the south part of the county. Exxon will jump the border. They own about 800 acres in Liberty County. They are our largest taxpayer. We treat them well and they treat us quite well. Companies like Exxon and Lyondell have their own security. There will be a need for a larger sheriff’s department, 2015 Fall-Winter
but those companies will be hands-on as well. We started back this time last year talking about the placement of overpasses with TxDOT and the Grand Parkway folks. Past the railyard, farmers are still active there. That farmer rmer must drive six miles to turn around and be able to farm m the other side of his property (split by the Grand Parkway). We had to look at that. “County Engineer Louis Bergman brought back to the attention of TxDOT and Grand Parkway an adopted thorhoroughfare plan, for additional roads in the county. The plan had been forgotten inadvertently. “That plan was resurrected and we were able to put three hree more overpasses in the Grand Parkway plan, so the properperties would not be cut in half. “That took up until June of this year. We are still tweaking king the plan. “The land is being changed in use. The user group has changed. What was once farmland will now be industrial strial development. “We are working with the City of Dayton on infrastructure ture development. As far as any development, there is going to have to o be sewer and water. It falls under the realm of Dayton’s ETJ (extraterritorial orial jurisdiction). Jobs and housing growth Regarding jobs, will Liberty County continue as a comommuter-community? South Liberty County Quarterly
Yes, but not in my lifetime. There will be more jobs here in 25 years than there are for people who drive away to work. Exxon World Headquarters is in The Woodlands. Grand Parkway connects them to the refinery in Baytown. Commuters may look for a home in between, which is here. What about housing as the growth happens? “The county recently made developers change lot size requirements to one acre. “Previously, there were no deed restrictions in some areas. What does that do to a city, a school district?” According to Knight, developers who won’t agree to this will take more from the county than they give. Judge Knight commented, “Population growth impacts public safety, grocery stores, hospitals, airports and schools.” County Jail improvements He added, “One thing we added in this budget (beginning Oct. 1), at the jail, is a maintenance coordinator looking at and watching the maintenance of the operation. This will be a proactive approach, identifying p tthings that are not working and what needs to be addressed immediately, nee one-, five- and ten years down the road. We are down the old, old jail and level it. going to tear do We will have to build a new jail at some point. The current jail has a 285-person capacity. As the county grows, the t offender population will grow. There are 14 acres acr close to the airport. We are keeping that for just in case. good debt and bad debt. Good debt is a You have goo pay for itself. facility that will p needs more space for county offices. The county ne What is the plan? commissioners are considering leveling the “The commiss a multi-level, multi-use buildold, old jail and building b offices. It makes sense. It is owned by ing for county off the location is in close proximity to the the county, and th courthouse. on his father’s inspiration, “I The judge reflected refle dad did. He built a pretty good farming know what my da to take all that and build it into empire. I am expected expe industry. “One of these days I will have to answer to him. I just want to be able to say I did the best I could. “That’s the reason reas I got into this job. It wasn’t for There is a darn good chance to turn power or glory. Th something positive for everyone in the this into someth county. “We have one shot to get it right.” 5
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2015 Fall-Winter
THE CHOSEN ONES
Dayton City Planner Kimberly Judge
Liberty County hand-picked Texas Target Communities pilot project BY CAROL SKEWES Publisher publisher@libertycountyquarterly.com
T
he Texas Target Communities (TTC) program of Texas A&M College of Architecture has been implemented in 42 communities across Texas, and is now being introduced in Liberty County, for the first time in a county-wide platform, in collaboration with the Agrilife Extension Program. Twenty-one Master of Urban Planning graduate students from around the globe (Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, China, Indonesia, 2015 Fall-Winter
South Korea, Iran, Brazil, Bangladesh, Alabama, New York, Utah, as well as Bryan and El Paso, Texas), along with faculty and staff from Texas A&M visited Liberty Fri., Oct. 2, 2015, for a half-day brainstorming session with community members and a guided tour of South Liberty County. Texas A&M provides the student resources to the county in order to gather and process data, offering technical assistance, training, and workshops to engage the public. The students participate in two classes in their fall semester working with the public, running community meetings and setting goals for how the community would like to see growth. They study the production concepts of land use over the course of 30 years, or more, to guide growth, looking at com-
mercial, resident and preserved farm land. In the spring semester studies include transportation planning, marketing and infrastructure. The deliverables to the community in exchange for participation in the project are: a visioning, land-use, infrastructure and transportation Strategic Growth Plan; Community Asset Development through business training, mapping assets and marketing materials, as well as a Citizen Journalism Youth 4-H Program. The 30-year Texas Target Communities initiative, led by Dr. John Cooper since 2012, evaluates assets and capacities as well as opportunities in the county. Dr. Cooper’s team includes Jaimie Hicks Masterson, Alexis Cordova, Carol LaFayette, Will Talent, Ronnie McDonald and many others.
South Liberty County Quarterly
Will Talent, a Texas A&M Visualization Major, works with the Institute of Applied Creativity, (IAC is a new department merging Engineering and the Arts). The IAC is collaborating with two Liberty County students to keep track of the TTC pilot project by writing in blog form to inspire other youth through a 4-H driven journalism and media program. Sam Addington, 18, and Emily Connelly, 14, were both provided an iPad loaded with software at the Oct. 2 meeting to help them achieve the objectives of the Citizen Storyteller Project. The Vindicator, the paper of record for South Liberty County, is serving as a liaison resource for Emily and Sam. Continued on 8 7
Texas Target Communities Continued from 7 Talent says, “The students are very bright and have a lot to say about the state of the area and how they see Liberty County from the perspective of a younger population. … Emily loves writing and art … Sam has a passion for filming and video editing.” They will interview many people who grew up in the county, and journal blogs about their experience. In the October meeting the group was refreshed on interesting statistics including population growth predictions, age demographics and education in Liberty County. Population is growing at a rate of 8% in the county compared to 21% for Texas. “The projected percentage of elderly (>65) increases from 11% in 2010 to 20% in 2050”, with younger population decreasing slightly [Office of State Demographer].
The number of Liberty County residents graduating high school is higher than average, but “only nine percent of Liberty County residents have a Bachelor degree or higher, compared with 27% statewide.” The new Lee College Education Center in Liberty will provide resources to service this educational need. Thirty-nine percent of Liberty County is wetlands [USGS]. The main water asset is the Trinity River, with approximately one third of the county in the 100-year flood plain [H-GAC]. According to City Parks Facts, The Trust for Public Land, Liberty County has a shortage of parks. “Park acreage per 1,000 people, with large national/state parks included, is 441. Park acreage per 1,000 people, excluding large national/state parks, is eight.” Two parks have been improved recently. The City of Liberty just invested in approximately $45,000 of playground equipment improvements at the municipal park and the Rotary Club of Liberty purchased playground equipment by matching Rotary District 5910 grant dollars to create a playground in the Ruth Canfield Park, a pocket park at the corner of Grand and Canfield streets, on land donated to the City of 8
Master of Urban Planning graduate students from around the globe (Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Iran, Brazil, Bangladesh, Alabama, New York, Utah, as well as Bryan and El Paso, Texas) with Director of the Texas Target Communities (TTC) Initiative Dr. John Cooper (left) and TTC Program Coordinator Jaimie Hicks Masterson (right).
Liberty by Patricia Mickelis Canfield. Housing facts include that 32% of residents live in mobile homes in our county, versus eight percent in Texas. One alarming fact is that “Low income households, whether renters or owners (with less than $20,000 annual income), spend 30% or more of their income on housing) [H-GAC County Profile 2013]. The county needs more affordable housing for this group. Opportunities at first glance include employment. Between 2003-2013, Liberty County’s employment growth has been nine percent compared to 25% in the state and 10% nationally. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “$1.1 billion in worker earnings flowed into Liberty and $267 million in worker earnings flowed out (of the county).” Growing industries include transportation and warehousing, while shrinking industries include: Retail, Agriculture and Public Administration. Grand Parkway (a third major loop surrounding Houston) Segments H and I1 will run through Liberty County for 37 miles. Industry, Retail and housing developments may follow. The H-GAC (Houston Galveston Area Council) 2009 Transit Plan identified the need for public transit services to other cities, including: Devers, Ames, Hardin, Daisetta and Hull. The plan noted a “Park and Ride Service” to Houston would be beneficial, but services are not yet available. Data gathered from the 2011 Regional
Texas Agrilife Extension Agent Alexis Cordova briefs community members on the Texas Target Communities timeline.
Water Plan, Region H, on water demands shows that available surface water and groundwater will decrease steadily and significantly by 2060. Liberty County is in the highest category of “disconnected youth (age 16-24), neither working nor in school” according to Mapping Where America is Failing its Youth Report, June 16, 2015. [Richard Florida and Aarian Marshal].
The statistics gathered and presented in Prezi multi-media format Oct. 2 by Texas A&M Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning’s Jeewasmi Thapa, Vera Abou Shakra and Robert McCharen paint a
South Liberty County Quarterly
revealing picture of the current state of, and future possibilities for, Liberty County. A July 25, 2015 preliminary presentation to community leaders featured a 115-page State of Community Report. Texas A&M invited the community to participate at that time. Now, with the help of Texas A&M, Texas Target Communities, Agrilife and many members of the community, the next steps are falling into place to utilize planning resources never before available. We are honored to be chosen for the Texas Target Communities project and excited to see what the next year will produce. 2015 Fall-Winter
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South Liberty County Quarterly
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‘Up to poverty’
The Jack and Jill Kids, of Kingwood, collected many boxes of t-shirts. The shirts are for donations to underprivileged women in Nicaragua who make diapers out of them. The Kingwood youth collected donations for about three months. Pictured (L–R): are Volunteers from St. Vincent de Paul, the Drexel Society and Rotary.
LANGETREE RETREAT & ECO CENTER
Rotary clubs join efforts to help mothers in need in Nicaragua BY CAROL SKEWES Publisher publisher@libertycountyquarterly.com
B
arbara Lange, of Langetree Retreat & Eco Center, has been collecting gently used t-shirt donations for an international service project as part of the Rotary Club of Liberty for three years since she was club president in District 5910. 10
The Rotary Club of Liberty partnered with Langetree Retreat & ECO Center, Raywood Drexel Society, Port Arthur Drexel Society, Saint Vincent DePaul Society, Kingwood Chapter of Jack & Jill Youth Group and GFWC – Texas, Liberty Woman’s Club to collect t-shirts used to make diapers for mothers in under-developed countries. Together this team will ship thousands of shirts needed to help keep babies clean and dry. Rotary thanks all who participated in this venture. Approximately three thousand t-shirts are now on their way to Nicaragua, thanks to
many volunteers, fellow Rotarian Gary Gillen and his two daughters, Nichole Timmreck and Jennifer Gillen. Lange discovered District 5890 Richmond Rotarian Gillen, in League City, whose daughter had been assigned to work in Nicaragua. The t-shirts go around the world to help underprivileged mothers and children. The shirts are collected, boxed and delivered to Gulf Winds Transport in Houston, put in a shipping container and sent to Nicaragua. Lange said, “It’s an easy project.” This project is open for everyone. All one needs
South Liberty County Quarterly
to do is look into your closets or your chests of drawers and pull out those old t-shirts that never get worn any more. Gillen explained, “My daughter started this project. I took both my daughters, Nichole and Jennifer, to Nicaragua.” He has traveled there three times. He continued, “Jennifer just finished nursing school in College Station and Nichole’s husband is in the U. S. Army, and was based in Germany at the time.” Continued on 11 2015 Fall-Winter
Rotary T-Shirt Collection Continued from 10 “When Nichole returned home to Germany she called and said, ‘Dad, I want to do something for the ‘children of the dump’ (in Chinandega, Nicaragua).’ “I was skeptical on the logistics, but she said she was going to promote it on social media.” Nichole had done her homework and had spoken to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bryan, who would serve as the College Station collection point. Her father became the collection point for Houston. Gulf Winds, at 411 Brisbane, e, Houston, ousto , near ea Hobby Airport, stores the boxes es of t-shirts in their warehouse until they havee enough to fill a container. Other items needed eeded for Nicaragua fill the container and when it is full, it ships. Gulf Winds helps the Rotary ary Books for the World program ass well and in that program the container stays at the destination point and is repurposed into a school, library or clinic. When the t-shirts are shipped ped overseas, they are then transported by truck to Chinandega, Nicaragua. Nicaragua is the poorest country untry in the Western Hemisphere and Chinandega andega is the poorest region in Nicaragua. Gillen said now there have been so many t-shirts sent that there are too many for the ‘children of the dump’, “There are not that many children there,” and they are being donated to other causes in the region. There is a resale shop in a school that Rotary supports. The resale shop benefits the school. His daughter Jennifer came up with another project to teach the girls how to make rosaries and sell them, which also supports the school. Gillen detailed, “There is only one maternity hospital in the whole region of Nicaragua, hopelessly overcrowded. If these ladies anticipate they will have trouble with the birth, they walk miles to the hospital. They are allowed to check in when they are in active labor and they have to leave 12 hours after their baby is born.” “They are in no condition to return home immediately and they had been sleeping in a park across from the hospital until they could make their way home.” According to Gillen, some were being bothered by drunks in the park. Gillen said, “A refuge has been created to help them stay 2015 Fall-Winter
for a few days with nurses on duty and a doctor visiting once a day. The refuge also gives the moms to be training on how to take care of their baby.” Gillen has visited the hospital. He explained, “There is a Rotary group in Iowa who gives a layette bag to every mother, producing about 300 bags a year. About 1,000 ladies go through the refuge every year, so there is still great need. The mothers can’t use disposable diapers because many of them do not have running water. The heaviest item in the layette to ship is the dozen diapers.” Part of the school is teaching the girls to sew and the boys learn woodworking and metalwork. Gillen emphasized, “These are really, really poor people. Rotary is trying to bring these people up to poverty. They are below poverty level. If you think of the economy as a ladder, these econ people are not no even at the bottom step. We are trying to get them to that step so they can make it on their own. If a child will stay in school c until the sixth grade, they can bring their family up to poverty.” “Hope and Relief International in I Brenham, the arm of Br Rotary that does doe this project, had the idea to pay the girls to sew the t-shirts into diapers. The girls get paid pennies to sew, but b it is a llot to them. The pregnant moms get a basket full of diapers to use.” Donated t-shirts go one of three places: the resale shop to benefit the school, directly to the ‘children of the dump’, or to the sewing class to be repurposed into diapers. Gillen reiterated, “These families live on less than $1 a day. Without the diapers, these children would have no clothes at all.” Gillen reported that his daughters’ college friends found a t-shirt manufacturer in College Station willing to donate t-shirt ‘seconds’ to the Nicaragua project. As Gillen packed the last of the boxes at Langetree to deliver to Gulf Winds, he said, “If you all keep this up I am going to have to bring a bigger truck!” Rotary International President K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, of Columbo, Sri Lanka, will visit Houston Jan. 13, 2016 to meet members of Rotary Districts 5890 and 5910. Many of the boxes were taped with DUCK tape (duct tape with ducks on it) from Langetree DUCK Farm Retreat & Eco Center, ‘A place where Discovering, Understanding Creativity & Knowledge for a Farm Alternative Restoration Model (DUCK FARM) thrives’. The t-shirts project was a perfect joint collaboration for South Liberty County Quarterly
Tania Donatto helped collect and pack the shirts for the international donation.
Barbara Lange, Gillen and his daughters, Rotary International, Gulf Winds and the many, many service groups that helped. You can still help. This is an ongoing international project. Contact Barbara Lange at 936-587-4325 or email: babsl5@ aol.com for more information. 11
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THE WOMEN’S CLUBS OF SOUTH LIBERTY COUNTY
Living the Volunteer Spirit Clubwomen make an impact on the community BY LISA MEISCH Contributing Writer
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or well over a century the clubwomen of South Liberty County have been making a significant impact on their communities and they continue to do so today. The women’s club movement began in the Northeastern United States in the 1870s and reached Texas in the 1880s. The clubs began as self-culture or study clubs, in which the women studied literature, history, art, music, etc., for their own self-enrichment. Soon many of these clubs began engaging in philanthropic, civic, and political work. Before long many of the clubs considered it advantageous to organize into a federation. On April 24, 1890, 63 clubs officially formed the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) at a convention in New York City. The Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs (TFWC) was organized in 1897, when the Woman’s Club of Waco issued a call to the state’s literary clubs to send representatives 14
Billie Williams, 2014-2016 Magnolia District President, member of the Coterie Club.
to a general convention in Waco. Delegates from eighteen clubs met and formed the Texas Federation of Women’s Literary Clubs (two years later the word “Literary” was dropped from the name). It is the largest voluntary association of women in the state. During its existence it has initiated or supported philanthropic and civic projects at the state, national, and international level. TFWC is now known as GFWC Texas. The earliest women’s club to be organized in South Liberty County was the Trivium Club. On October 19, 1902, a notice appeared in the Liberty Vindicator requesting ladies “to meet Mrs. Stedman Cox of Houston who will be here for the purpose of organizing a literary club.” Out of this the Trivium Club was formed. One hundred and thirteen years later, South Liberty County has five active GFWC and GFWC Texasaffiliated clubs. Liberty has the Trivium Club (organized 1902); the Coterie Club (organized 1952) and Liberty Woman’s Club
(organized 1955). Dayton has the Lakata Club (organized 1947) and Lambda Alpha Sigma (organized 1954). Some of these clubs’ major activities are special projects chosen or endorsed by the GFWC or GFWC Texas. The signature project is domestic violence awareness and prevention; the clubs participate in Pinwheels For Prevention to help raise community awareness of this issue. This past year members of Coterie, Trivium, and Liberty Woman’s Club installed 800 pinwheels on the grounds of the Humphreys Cultural Center in Liberty. GFWC clubs nationwide have joined with the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) opposing federal legislation that would permit longer and heavier trucks on the nation’s highways. There is currently legislation pending that would permit an increase in double trailer length from 28 to 33 feet. The overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers surveyed and many concerned citi-
South Liberty County Quarterly
zens believe that longer and heavier trucks would be a danger to motorists and would further weaken roads and bridges. Area clubwomen have signed letters to send to U. S. Representative Brian Babin and other congressmen urging them to vote against this legislation. In August of this year Liberty Woman’s Club President Helen Lamberth and CABT Regional Director Rick Cowan met with Rep. Babin to discuss this issue. Conservation has been an important issue for GFWC Texas and the Liberty and Dayton clubs for many years. Currently, GFWC Texas has joined with Texans For Clean Water to support the Zero Waste Development & Expansion Act, federal legislation which would create an EPA grant program to fund local government efforts to deploy technology, invest in infrastructure and conduct outreach in support of waste reduction, recycling and reuse. Continued on 15 2015 Fall-Winter
Clubwomen impact the community Continued from 14 In addition to these statewide and nationwide projects, the Liberty and Dayton clubs participate in local projects benefiting their communities’ libraries, museums, hospitals, schools and food banks. The Trivium Club is credited with establishing Liberty’s public library and remains a strong supporter of Liberty Municipal Library. In support of education, the club awards an annual scholarship to a high school student planning to study fine or literary arts and donates to the LISD Foundation. As a beautification project, Trivium plants a tree within the city limits every year. This past year the club donated three crepe myrtle trees for the new Ruth Canfield Park. The club holds a magazine drive to provide reading material for the Liberty-Dayton Hospital waiting room and makes monetary donations to M. D. Anderson Hospital in Houston. Liberty Woman’s Club has long supported the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in various capacities; members have served as volunteers, made monetary donations, and participated on teams. Sandra Sterling for many years has chaired or co-chaired the South Liberty County Relay. Club members generously donate to Children’s Protective Services every Christmas. This past year members signed the Texas Council on Family Violence “Purple Postcards” to send to state legislators to influence laws concerning domestic abuse. Club President Helen Lamberth tirelessly advocated for state legislation supported by GFWC Texas, such as Kari’s 2015 Fall-Winter
2015 Pinwheels for Prevention installation at the Humphreys Cultural Center, with women from the three Liberty clubs.
Law (No 9 for 911 calls from hotels and motels) and the Jason Flatt Act (for suicide prevention education). The Coterie Club is currently involved with the Heifer Project. Heifer International is a charitable organization whose goal is to end world hunger and poverty by helping families in third world countries become economically self-sufficient through animal husbandry. Coterie is raising funds to purchase animals for one such family; the type of animal and the number depend on how well the project goes. The club also donates to the local food bank and actively supports the teen suicide program enacted by the Texas Legislature. Lambda Alpha Sigma started the first library in Dayton with a book drive, and the Dayton Library continues to be a major club project. Members of both LAS and the Lakata Club volunteer their time and work with the Friends of the Library. Both clubs participate in the Dayton schools’ Brown Bag Buddy program, in which members buy Christmas presents
Helen Lamberth, Congressman Brian Babin, and CABT Regional Director Rick Cowan
for needy schoolchildren. A major project of the Lakata Club has been restoration of the historic Dayton Schoolhouse and its conversion into the Old School Museum. The club raised funds and was instrumental in its development. Members continue to support the museum and serve as volunteers. Lakata assists Dayton ISD students by providing school supplies at the start of the school year and gives scholarships to deserving high school graduates; the club has South Liberty County Quarterly
awarded 54 scholarships since 1970. The clubwomen donate money and non-perishable goods to the city’s Volunteer Fire Department. At Thanksgiving members collect food for needy families and in April they donate to the Relay For Life. The Liberty and Dayton clubs are part of GFWC Texas’s Magnolia District, one of the most active districts in the state. Over the years Liberty and Dayton clubwomen have held numerous offices at the
district and state level. Liberty Woman’s Club President Helen Lamberth serves as GFWC Texas Historical Foundation Trustee. Former Coterie Club President Billie Williams currently serves as the Magnolia District president. Her president’s special project is stopping hunger in our local communities. She encourages clubs to collect foodstuffs for their local food banks and keep track of what they donate. The club that collects the most will receive a monetary donation for their food bank. The clubs joined in celebrating GFWC’s 125th anniversary this year by signing a GFWC flag that Magnolia District President Billie Williams presented to GFWC International President Babs Condon at the GFWC Convention in Memphis, Tennessee. City proclamations were issued by both Dayton’s Mayor Felix Skarpa and Liberty’s Mayor Carl Pickett proclaiming April 24, 2015 as GFWC Day locally in honor of the anniversary. As they work to improve the communities in which they live, the clubwomen of South Liberty County “live the volunteer spirit” (GFWC’s theme) every day. Anyone interested in learning more about the activities of GFWC Texas and the women’s clubs of South Liberty County can visit the Magnolia District website at https:// libertywomansclub.shutterfly. com/, which has links to the clubs’ webpages, plus GFWC Texas’s Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/GFWCTexas and the Liberty Woman’s Club Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/LibertyWomansClub. I would like to thank Billie Williams, Helen Lamberth, Sharron Stovall (Lakata president), Linda Harris (Lakata VP), Julie Hebert (Trivium president), and Patsy Arnold (Lambda Alpha Sigma) for their input and assistance as I prepared this article. Photos were provided by Helen Lamberth.
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SAM HOUSTON REGIONAL LIBRARY & RESEARCH CENTER
Photo by Robert L. Schaadt
Moving Boldly Forward Preserving the past for future generations
BY ALANA INMAN Contributing Writer
18
or the people of Southeast Texas, the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center serves as more than a home to countless historical records, resources, and a r t i f a c t s . Within its confines are trusted the collective narrative of the people that have lived and worked in the region that winds its way amongst the Sabine and Trinity Rivers. The Sam Houston Center, as it is affectionately known, was built in 1977 as part of a statewide network of repositories that preserve and make available local history, particularly the records of local governments. It serves as the regional historical resource depository for the ten counties of Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, and Tyler, and is the only regional depository owned by the state of Texas. The others are housed within universities, libraries, and similar public institutions. Part of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the Sam Houston Center’s main campus encompasses 127 acres on Farm to Market Road 1011 in Liberty, Texas. About 25-30 of those acres house the Center’s main building that includes a museum and research library, four historical structures, and the Jean and Price Daniel Home and Archives, patterned after the Texas Governor’s Mansion. The Center, its various buildings, and its historic collections have grown out of the efforts of a long line of individuals and organizations to preserve the history of the Atascosito District, which served as the area’s seat of government in 1826. All or portions of the ten counties served by the Center were carved from the Atascosito-Liberty District. Current staff members are building upon the strong foundation left by those who contributed to the Center’s development to ensure the Center is prepared to be as much of an asset to South Liberty County and the surrounding area in the future as it has been in the past. Staff members have used a variety of tools to determine the needs and desires of the area’s residents for the Sam Houston Center. Five focus group meetings were held with local government officials, educators, interested citizens, and other users of the Center. Professional consultants from across the nation conducted assessments of the Center’s collections and buildings, and representatives from all ten counties were invited to participate in a char-
South Liberty County Quarterly
rette to identify what is most unique and significant about Southeast Texas and the people who call it home. That information is being used to create a new museum exhibit on the region. All of these efforts culminated in a series of grant awards and special legislative appropriations that are making significant improvements at the Center possible. With the commitment of a portion of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s general revenue and a special $1 million appropriation from the Texas legislature in 2013, critical safety and security needs have been addressed. Fire hazards, including high-risk breaker boxes and a lack of emergency lighting, were corrected. A fire detection system was installed in the Center’s main building and Daniel Home, along with a state-of-the-art suppression system in the Center’s main storage areas. Lighting was placed outside the buildings for added security and illumination during evening events, and security systems were installed and upgraded. A federal grant also led to the placement of film on all the main building’s windows to protect the historic records and artifacts from the damaging effects of ultraviolet and visible light. The improvement that has likely had the most impact on visitors is renovation of the research library. With the addition of new furniture, staff members have been able to expand available seating and increase the number of computers and microfilm readers. Yet, the progress will not stop there. Visitors to the Center in the spring of 2016 will find wider roads, a parking lot at the Daniel Home, a new security gate and fencing at the Center’s entrance, and handicap-accessible ramps at the Daniel Home and Hull Rotary Building. Of most importance is the grounds work planned to improve drainage around the Center’s historic buildings, work that is needed to prevent further deterioration to the structures. Upon completion of those projects, staff will focus on the next round of improvements planned for the Center’s future. These projects will be funded by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, partners like the Atascosito Historical Society, and a second $1 million appropriation from the state’s legislature, received on September 1, 2015. Continued on 19 2015 Fall-Winter
Sam Houston Center Continued from 18 With drainage problems alleviated around the historic buildings, staff members plan to begin considering the buildings’ structural issues. To prepare for this effort, an architect or engineering firm specializing in historic structures will be asked to conduct a complete assessment of the buildings and outline a plan for their future, including immediate repairs needed and a maintenance plan for continued historic preservation. The historic buildings on the Center’s grounds include the Gillard-Duncan House, an 1848 Creole-style plantation home; St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (1898), which served as a place of worship in Liberty for nearly a century; the circa 1883 Norman House, home to three families and where many of the fundraising events to build the church were held; and the circa 1930 Hull Rotary Building, intended for use as a museum that will share the legacy of local Rotary District 5910’s community service. Among other projects, staff will also begin considering improvements to the property that visitors can enjoy outdoors, including display of a boiler from the Mary Conley steamboat that sank in the Trinity River during 1873. The boiler is currently located in an area of the grounds that is not accessible to the public. Future development at the Center will also include a floor-to-ceiling renovation of the museum. The renovation will include installation of a permanent exhibit focused on the story of Southeast Texas, along with space devoted to rotating, temporary exhibits. With input from the Center’s staff and historians from all the counties the Center serves, an exhibit studio will design and fabricate an interactive exhibit that includes original records and artifacts, along with audio-visual components and other technological innovations. The new exhibit will draw upon a collection of over 12,000 cubic feet of historical materials related to Southeast Texas, an amount that would run the length of 55 football fields. The Center’s records range in date from 1826, when Mexico governed the land, to last week’s newspapers. The artifacts are older, with items created by the original Native American inhabit2015 Fall-Winter
ants through Spanish and Mexican settlers, to the Anglo immigrants of the revolutionary period and citizens of the modern state. Visitors to the Center have access to a variety of historic documents, including government records, rare books, photographs, maps, and the private papers of individuals and businesses. These documents are a window into the lives of a number of famous and infamous individuals, such as U.S. Representative and House Un-American Activities Committee Chairman Martin Dies, nineteenth century actress and poet Adah Isaacs Menken, former Governor of Guam Bill Daniel, notorious pirate Jean Lafitte, and former Texas Governor Price Daniel, who held more high elective and appointed positions than any other Texan. Historical events can also be traced within the Center’s holdings, including the discovery of oil, growth of the timber industry, and the story of Southeast Texas in the Civil War. For example, the wartime letters of Captain William Duncan and his wife, Celima, paint a picture of life both in the field and at home during the war. The couple’s love story began while Celima still lived in her father’s home, the Gillard-Duncan House located on the Center’s grounds. Highlights of the Center’s collection already on display in the museum include the private executive record of Sam Houston from his second term as president of the Republic of Texas, and even a lock of his hair. Some of the 10,000 arrowheads from the Center’s holdings can be seen, along with a steamboat anchor and portion of a paddlewheel. Also on display for visitors to see are records from the Atascosito District Archives that document the 1830s disturbances in Anahuac over the collection of customs by Mexico, which can be considered a precursor to the Texas Revolution. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s goal is to unveil the new exhibit and other planned improvements by the end of 2017. The Center’s 40th anniversary falls in May of that year, providing the perfect time to recognize those who laid the foundation for the Center’s progress and celebrate where the Center, and the area it serves, are going in the future. If you would like to learn more about the Center or its plans, please call (936) 336-8821 or visit www.tsl.texas.gov/shc. You are also welcome to visit the Center Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., or on Saturday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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COUNTY HEALTH UPDATE
State of Rural Medicine
phenomenal Liberty County EMS Ambulance with Lifebot® equipment on board.
BY CAROL SKEWES Publisher publisher@libertycountyquarterly.com
“Where else would a little 501(c)(3) nonprofit ambulance service be able to work with two major colleges in the State of Texas, and the world, and help develop technology in telemedicine?” Mike Koen, executive director of Liberty County EMS, hosted a press conference Oct. 2, 2015, to give the State of Rural Medicine in Liberty County. Koen said, “It has been a wonderful experience for our organization.” His presentation that day was dedicated to the late Dr. Red Duke. 20
Dreams Bob Arnold is a scientist who helped initiate the DREAMS project (Disaster Relief and Emergency Services). Dreams technology is described by Koen as, “A fisherman in a storm that is having problems out in the ocean will be able to take his cell phone and put it on video. The Coast Guard will be able to see his video in real time so they will know what to do and where to go to get him help and support. That is the technology that our universities, like Texas A&M, are doing all the time.” Larry Fornoy, an engineer, scientist and consultant, spoke to the audience about how the DREAMS project began. Fornoy said, “Red (Dr. Duke) got really tired of patients coming in dead with chest tubes plugged up where they could not breathe.
Dr. Duke had turned in an initial feasibility study for DREAMS, which gave enough information for DREAMS to be born as a $300,000 project.” An initial proposal was prepared by Forney and Dr. Dick Ewing, Dean of Science at Texas A&M. In 1998, funding was made available for the DREAMS project, with a laboratory research component.” Dr. Duke approached UT Health Science Center Houston, after UT Austin was not interested in providing engineering support. Dr. Duke called Texas A&M and the partnership between UT Health Science Center Houston and Texas A&M was created. Forney said, “For congressional type awards you basically get told you will get a pot of money, and you must write matching proposals for that money. We jointly wrote pro-
South Liberty County Quarterly
posals for a five-year period for the initial $50 million, of which $37-1/2 million was utilized, half for the wet sciences and half for the ambulance project. A&M was responsible for the hardware and software. UT Health Science Center Houston was responsible for the medical direction.” Three phases were developed. By Dec. 31, 2004, it was finally possible for real trauma patients to be picked up after legislation was signed by President Bush. Forney said Koen’s ambulance group (Liberty County EMS) was an excellent fit for the DREAMS project: small, rural, high incidents, lots of trips every year. We ended up with over 4,000 trip records. We have five ambulances in and out of Liberty County and a fully, medically-equipped Humvee.” Continued on 22 2015 Fall-Winter
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21
L-R at Dayton Community Center are: Dr. Neil Ghandi, Medical Director, Chief Nursing Officer Becky Chalupa, both from Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital, Liberty County EMS Director Mike Koen, Medicus Rescue Founder Scott Corron, Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital CEO David P. Bernard, LifeBot® COO Kerry Fletcher and Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital Administrative Director Laurie Terry, BS, MBA, FACHE, FABC
Rural Medicine Update Continued from 20 The project for DREAMS ended around 2006, but secondary funding allowed a helicopter component to continue the program longer. Forney continued, “If it hadn’t been for Mike, we would not have been able to collect this amount of data, engendered other projects around the nation. … Ours was the longest running, most successful, most technically equipped ambulance of five that was being run in the nation, including one at Johns Hopkins University.” Kerry Fletcher, LifeBot® CEO, then took the technology into the marketplace. 22
Fletcher told the audience, “We are all here standing on the shoulders of giants. … We call it a mobile micro-hospital. The one thing you can count on mobile connectivity is that you can’t count on it. It has to function as an extension the ED (Emergency Department), the Cath lab, the neurology lab or primary care, out where patients don’t have access to healthcare. It is fully integrated into a handheld device.”
LifeBot® global Recently, Fletcher brought a team from Holland to Liberty County to see Koen and his team demonstrating the equipment. The team from Holland just launched the systems in their home country saying, “We want to be your Liberty County for Europe. We want to be that place that gets it and understands how important it is to change health-
care and represent the people in the community as well as the technology.” LifeBot® is currently launching in Southeast Asia, China, South American, Europe, across the U.S. (Maryland and Miami) “with a scalable, modular system, always able to add and integrate new technology.” “Trauma surgeons will see different cameras seeing exactly what the medic is doing in emergency response or triage,” added Fletcher. Medicus Rescue Founder Scott Corron described the features of the LifeBot® system as a wireless device that connects to the patient and the physician or hospital. The hospital workstation and module that resides in the ambulance were demonstrated live. They have showed the technology around the globe. Corron said, “All that comes from (the work developed) right here in Liberty County.”
South Liberty County Quarterly
The same day, LifeBot® was being presented by Roger Heath, Principal Owner of LifeBot®, to the European Union Parliament on how to use telemedicine in support humanity in the current refugee crisis. Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital CEO David Bernard said, “Today is a very proud day for Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital. … Today marks a milestone in emergency medical services in the State of Texas, in being one of the first places to be able to do this. We are very proud to be partners with Liberty County EMS, who has taken proactive steps to improve the quality, safety and service of its community. Your health care community is working together for you.” Continued on 23 2015 Fall-Winter
God Bless America Dr. Marlo Brawner, Medical Director for Liberty County EMS; LifeBot ® COO Kerry Fletcher and Medicus Rescue Founder Scott Corron demonstrate the lifesaving Lifebot® equipment in real-time.
Rural Medicine Update Continued from 22 “One of the most precious gifts we have is our health. … We can all sleep a little better tonight knowing that this technology is available in our community for our families.” Dr. Neil Ghandi, Medical Director at Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital, assisted in a live demonstration of the LifeBot® system connecting in real time to the emergency room physicians. Dr. Ghandi said, “Our first responders have a very difficult day-today job. By the time they stabilize the patient and get them on the truck, they have done a lot. LifeBot® provides a 2015 Fall-Winter
bridge to them to be able to communicate with the ER and tell the patient’s story in a seamless transition.” Dr. Marlo Brawner, Medical Director for Liberty County EMS participated in the demonstration. She has offices for her pediatric practice in Cleveland and Livingston. Dr. Brawner says, “I am everywhere. It was nice to get involved with rural care because we are able to take care of patients for a longer time. Our transport time is 30 minutes to an hour” compared to Houston first responders’ transport times of five minutes. LCEMS ambulances can connect to Dr. Brawner or another doctor and if something is going wrong, we can change the care around while we are trying to get them to a hospital.” Dr. Brawner has worked with LCEMS since 2007.
Corron added that LifeBot® has improved door-to-balloon time (the time between getting the patient from the door of the ambulance with a cardiac event to the cath lab for a lifesaving balloon procedure). Corron said, “The physician in the hospital can drive the vitals on the ambulance to assist the EMT who is extremely busy caring for the patient en route.” LifeBot® tracks types of injuries, allows visual observation and transmission of data for real-time feedback, and provides documentation on exactly what happened. Corron concluded, “It took a long time to do this. It’s a very powerful system. We have shown to everyone from Delta Force teams to SEAL teams to the White House. It all started right here.” South Liberty County Quarterly
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he east Texas sun relentlessly beats down upon the old Dodge Ram’s windshield as it idly sits in front of NRG Stadium. Slowly, steadily, a line forms just outside it’s hitched trailer. Some just want shelter and quick drink of water on this hot day. Others, are timidly peaking in, wondering whether to take that first step. Still others are ready to change their lives. “The Lee College Mobile Go Center is a 42-foot, high-tech, satellite and wifiequipped trailer that lets people come on board to learn about Lee College degree plans, and dual credit programs,” explained Lee College Vice President of Student Success, Workforce and Resource Development Dr. Christy Ponce. “We also offer information about college registration and financial aid, and have 25 laptops on board to help potential students apply for college.” The center is an extension of the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (THECB) campaign efforts to achieve student participation in the 60x30TX Initiative, an education plan that seeks to have 60 percent of Texans -- age 25-34 -- hold some kind of degree or postsecondary certification by the year 2030. Just how dire is the current situation? Only 30% of 25-34 year olds hold an advanced degree According to THECB, only 30-percent of Texans in that age population hold an advanced degree or certification, and the highest levels of education in any age group are Texans, age 55-64. Only 19% of 8th-graders obtained degree within 6 years of graduating high school Additionally, a 2014 Houston Endowment study reports only 19-percent of eighth graders in 2001 obtained a degree or certification within six years of graduating high school. Continued on 28
LR: Dr. Christy Ponce, Payton Talerico and Dominic Talerico
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Lee College Mobile Go Continued from 26 The study also showed wide disparities in degree attainment between children born into poverty and those born into medium and high-income families. Locally, the Liberty County Development Corporation (LCDC) recently recorded a 34-percent decrease in the number of degreed residents in Liberty. In Dayton, only 4.24 percent of the population holds an associate degree, while 8.22 percent holds a bachelor degree. What does that mean for residents? Dollars and cents, for one thing. Dollars and cents According to a recent survey conducted by the National Center for Higher Education Management, the median difference in earnings for those who have a high school degree versus an associate degree is about $15,000 per year in Texas. The Texas Gulf Coast Community College Consortium (TGCCC) estimates the average income at the career midpoint of an associate degree holder at $58,000 per year. That’s 36-percent more than mid-career earnings of an employee with just a high school diploma. To break it down even further, in addition to the average $400 per week difference in earnings between those with a high school diploma and advanced degree or certificate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a substantial difference in unemployment rates -9.4-percent average for those with a high school diploma, versus 4.1-percent for those with a bachelor’s degree. But the implications of these statistics reach beyond individual pocketbooks. America is facing a “skills gap” Across the country business and industry growth continues to be compromised by a shortage of trained workers to fill “middleskill” jobs: jobs that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a college degree. According to the Greater Houston 28
Partnership -- a 1,200 member association of “community-minded” business leaders -- as many as 600,000 jobs are going unfilled in the U.S. each year. That translates to a $68 billion loss in exports, $47 trillion in direct investment, and $8 billion in research and development. Additionally, if those jobs were filled, they would, in turn generate an additional 406,441 jobs nationwide. TGCCC, meanwhile, estimates that 1.6 million new or replacement jobs will come to the Texas Gulf Coast by the year 2020; 29-percent of those jobs are anticipated to require an associate degree or higher. Mobile Go Centers fit in the puzzle So where do Mobile Go Centers fit in this puzzle? They shed light on the opportunity, according to Dr. Ponce. “The Lee College Mobile Go Center takes the college to the community and helps eliminate barriers like access to information, access to computers to enroll in college, transportation barriers, and helps provide prospective students with the information to enroll in college,” she explained. The center is not a new concept. Community colleges across Texas have used the mobile facilities to host special events for years. And, until recently, Lee College had borrowed centers from other schools to host semi-annual financial aid events. Then, the college was awarded a $165,000 grant by the Pioneer Foundation to establish its own facility. “It wasn’t like most grants, where there is a time associated with it,” Dr. Ponce explained. “It was just a gift to fully fund the Mobile Go Center. Magnum Trailer was instrumental with helping design and create [the center]; they have been leaders in the state in creating Mobile Education Centers in partnership with the Pioneer Foundation to help provide college outreach across the state.” Since securing its facility, the college has visited a number of community events in McNair, Barrett Station, Baytown, Liberty, and Houston “We are currently in the process of hiring a full-time driver,” Dr. Ponce added, “once this person is on board, they will be able to join our outreach team at events on days,
nights and weekends around the Lee College service area. The Mobile Go Center will take college information and opportunities out into the community and will be visiting grocery stores, libraries, churches, schools and many community events.” And while the free counseling and financial aid services provided therein can help potential students get their foot in the door to any school, the poster-covered walls and steady-streaming promotional videos provide a sneak peak at opportunities that will soon be in their own back yard. The dust has finally settled, and equipment is slowly being moved into place. Each passing day brings new light and new hope to the newly renovated facility, and the community. First step to college and career If the Mobile Go Center is a student’s first step into college, then this is their first step into a career. Slated to open in Spring 2016 and housed in the former alternative education center located on the State Highway 146 bypass in Liberty, Texas, the Lee College Education Center-South Liberty County is the institution’s latest attempt to bring educational opportunities directly to it’s students. “Lee College has always had a presence in this area,” Liberty Mayor Carl Pickett explained. “While we are not in the college’s taxing district, we are in their service area, and so they have always been the service area provider of higher education in our schools. “They’ve always had a presence in our high schools through dual-credit courses, and some special vo-tech programs, so they’ve always been here, just as South Liberty County has always been a part of the college.” Lee College serves a geographic region of approximately 220,000 residents and includes the Goose Creek, Anahuac, Barber’s Hill, Crosby, Dayton, Devers, East Chambers, Hardin, Huffman, Hull-Daisetta and Liberty Independent School districts. A “considerable” portion of the college’s approximately 6,800 student population hails from South Liberty County. However, for some students in these areas, obtaining a Lee College degree or certificate comes with an inconvenient cost
South Liberty County Quarterly
- sometimes up to 50-miles of travel, oneway. “It’s a substantial commitment for these kids,” Dayton City Manager David Douglas explained. “Sometimes, it’s just not economically feasible, or even safe for them to drive that far.” “We are in the college’s service area,” Mayor Pickett added, “but not in their taxing district, so they can’t just come and spend money on a building here to make it easier for everyone. There are limits and laws they have to follow.” If this reasoning seems complicated, that’s because it is. Texas community colleges are assigned “service areas” by the state legislature. This gives each community college district a set “territory” to serve. In contrast, a community college “district” is the geographic area that pays taxes supporting the institution. The taxing district, in turn, receives an increased range of services and reduced tuition. While Lee College’s service area includes the cities of Baytown, Highlands, Mont Belvieu, Crosby, Huffman, Anahuac, Dayton, Liberty, Daisetta, Hardin and Winnie, it’s taxing district is found in portions of Harris and Chambers county served by the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District. Therein lies the challenge -- as stewards of the public, Lee College simply cannot justify using tax dollars to construct a facility outside of its taxing district. And although communities can petition to be annexed to a community college district via election, that can be a lengthy process, one which business, industry and residents simply cannot afford right now. Enter “Plan C” “The stars really lined up for us on this,” Liberty Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Cody Abshier explained. “We had a facility in our area that was no longer working for us as an Alternative Education Center. But it was a great facility for some of the educational programming we wanted to bring to South Liberty County.” With this in mind, five area school districts - Liberty, Dayton, Hull-Daisetta, Hardin and Continued on 29 2015 Fall-Winter
Lee College Mobile Go Continued from 28 Anahuac - sat down with the college to discuss the possibility of donating the facility for a “satellite center.” “We came to the agreement that the districts would provide the facility and help with custodial and maintenance activities,” Dr. Abshier said. “The college would provide instructional staff and monitor the academic end of the facility.” The college was eager to jump on board. “We met with the regional superintendents to brainstorm how we could bring more postsecondary opportunities to the region,” Dr. Ponce explained. “We decided [upon] a Dual Credit Institute.” Endorsed by the State of Texas, dual credit programs allow high school juniors and seniors to enroll in a college course and simultaneously receive high school and college credit for that course. Both academic and technical courses are included among dual credit offerings and provide the same rigor and content as those offered college students, utilize the same instructors and fall under the same curriculum and policies. To participate in the program, students must meet with their high school counselor to select courses, apply for admission to Lee College, complete and submit pre-assessment and college placement test scores, complete a FERPA release form, submit proof of bacterial meningitis vaccination and register for classes. The college has a stable $100 flat rate tuition for dual credit courses. And while dual credit students are not eligible for federal aid, they may apply for scholarships and state funds through the Texas Application for Student Financial Aid, or TAFSA. Approximately 1,400 students are currently enrolled in Lee College’s dual credit program, which currently holds classes at different school districts throughout the region. The new center will provide a more centralized location for these courses. “This is just a great location for students in South Liberty County,” Dr. Abshier explained. “We know the value of education, but for some, logistically, when you have to travel far to get it, it just doesn’t work. This was a way to make it more accessible.” With this in mind, the interested parties got to work. Task one was selecting initial dual credit course offerings, which, for local educators, proved to be a “no-brainer.” “We [decided to begin] with three technical programs: Process Technology, Computer Aided Drafting & Design (CADD), Electrical and academic transfer courses,” Dr. Ponce said. 2015 Fall-Winter
Lee College Vice President of Student Success, Workforce and Resource Development Dr. Christy Ponce
The choices were made with good reason. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment among geological petroleum technicians is anticipated to increase by 15-percent in the next seven years. Employment among CADD technicians is anticipated to increase onepercent in that same time period. Locally, the Gulf Coast petrochemical industry is projected to need more than 50,000 new workers within the next decade, according to TGCCC. Salaries in Petrochemical Expansion Median starting salaries for these professions range from $40 - $50,000 per year, and with advanced certifications and overtime at local industrial facilities, can eventually lead to six-figure salaries. “These aren’t just run-of-the-mill jobs,” Mayor Pickett explained. “These credentials will allow students to go work in our plants and make six-figure, respectable incomes, sometimes in their early 20s.” With a vision and menu of course offerings in place, the only thing left to do was find a way to pay for it all. “We had several conversations, the city, Lee College, and the school districts,” Mayor Pickett explained. “We knew Lee College couldn’t pay for the facilities themselves, but we also knew that we had the tools, through our sister organizations - our community development corporations - to help.” South Liberty County Quarterly
As non-profit Type B corporations, the Liberty and Dayton Community Development Corporations are funded by sales taxes. Funds received through tax collections are discretionary and can be used to promote economic growth by providing funds for public infrastructure, job training, and other resources. Working together makes sense So, together with Dayton Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Jessica Johnson and Lee College President Dr. Dennis Brown, Dr. Abshier and Mayor Pickett pled their case, and secured matching $191,000 grants from both the LCDC AND DCDC. According to Dr. Ponce, “the LCDC grand provided funds for renovations and equipment, and the DCDC grant helped to provide equipment.” An $850,000 grant from the Greater Texas Foundation assisted with equipment, personnel and seed funding for the program, she added. Funds are currently being put to use; building renovations are nearing completion and workers are moving in equipment daily. The end result will be a state-of-the-art training facility that will grow with the community. “[Our] vision is for the Lee College Education Center in South Liberty County to eventually be a comprehensive college center and the hub of higher education where students can obtain both academic, technical and workforce training,” Dr. Ponce said. “This will also benefit businesses and industry because we will be providing customized training, fast track career training and a variety of community education courses. “The Lee College Center is [also] designed to create a college going culture by offering courses the whole family can take advantage of, include Kids College and Senior Adult Courses.” Residents, in turn, will have the opportunity to pursue a better life with the assistance of an institution recently ranked in the top one-percent, among community colleges nationwide, for contributions to the economic success of its students. “We know education is important,” Dr. Abshier said. “It’s important to be a life-long learner and continue your education as an adult. We hope that this will be a big boon to South Liberty County residents in, basically, giving us easier access to higher education at home.” “I’m proud of this area I call home,” Mayor Pickett added. “Proud that we had the vision and cooperative spirit to make this happen. “I guess I’m the real optimist, but I know this is going to flourish and pay off for everyone in the long run,” he continued. “I’m a big believer in creating opportunities for people And when you expose them to education, you give them the opportunity they need to raise themselves up. And that’s what’s going to happen.” 29
Dayton ISD breaks ground on the Dr. E.R. Richter Elementary campus as part of the district’s $87.8 million bond package.
School bond projects change the face of education in Liberty County BY ANIKKA ROGERS Contributing Writer
S
ilt fence surrounds the formerly open field adjacent to the Dayton Independent School District’s Administration Building. Wisps of once green grass are slowly being replaced by a labyrinth of underground utilities, and concrete foundations. Just east of the city, high-speed wireless, video conferencing systems, new cabling, iPads, and Chromebooks are setting up permanent residence in the Liberty Independent School District, and due north shovels are breaking ground on the new home of Hardin Elementary. For opponents of school bond projects, the sight of turned dirt may seem sudden, perhaps even, unnecessary.
30
But for local educators caught in the slow, steady, changing tide, it’s a welcome relief. Dayton schools “Dayton ISD’s enrollment trends over the last five years include six-percent growth,” explained Dr. Jessica Johnson, superintendent of the Dayton Independent School District (DISD). “As of October 2015, we currently have 5,320 students enrolled.” Additionally, a demographic shift has brought more HIspanic students to the district, resulting in a need for additional bilingual educators and parent liaisons. And the district’s needs don’t stop there. The average age of DISD campuses is 40 years. Campuses including Stephen F. Austin Elementary, Dr. E.R. Richter Elementary and Nottingham Middle School are at capacity. Others lack classrooms, computers and literacy centers, and in some instances, technology and HVAC systems are trudging along. DISD’s challenges are not an isolated incident.
Hardin schools The past three years have brought a ninepercent increase in overall student population to Hardin Independent School District (HISD). Hardin Elementary, alone, saw a 15.7-percent increase in student population, placing new demands on a nearly 60-year-old facility that is already struggling to meet the learning space and size requirements administered by the Texas Education Agency. Metal buildings, originally intended to be a temporary solution to over-crowding have become semi-permanent fixtures that have outlived their useful life, and are prone to leaks and flooding. “The challenge we face, primarily is growth,” HISD Superintendent Brandon Peavey explained. “We’ve been growing and growing, predominantly in the lesser grades, at a pretty significant rate, and our elementary school is at capacity. It simply wasn’t designed for this excess of students.”
South Liberty County Quarterly
Lack of office space, he added, has resulted in district administrators sitting cramped together in a small corner of the intermediate school campus, and Hardin High School lacks the facility space to house the state’s newly required Career and Technical Programs. Liberty schools Meanwhile, the Liberty Independent School District (LISD) is now 2,067 students strong, and programs are busting at the seams. “Two years ago, our band program had 35 students,” said LISD Superintendent Dr. Cody Abshier, “Today, we have 100. And they’re doing well. They continue to advance in UIL competitions. The parents are excited and the kids are excited. “Athletics is also growing,” he added. “Our girls’ volleyball team advances to the playoffs regularly, and more and more kids are trying out. “Our girls athletics program doesn’t have a field house. They don’t have adequate shower or restroom facilities. Our high school track was built in the early 90’s and doesn’t have adequate lighting or bleachers. Parking is maxed out. We need new buses, we need an auditorium for our theater arts program.” In the midst of all this growth, the state -through recently executed House Bill 5 -- is slowly imposing substantial changes to curriculum and graduation requirements, incorporating student and community engagement requirements, and enforcing new security measures. House Bill 5 “House BIll 5 is a comprehensive law that has various components that shifts the focus for our students from college pathway only, to getting students ready for college as well as career ready,” Dr. Johnson explained. Under the bill, districts are now required to offer different personalized graduation plans and endorsements allowing more opportunities for students to obtain certificates and college hours. Partnerships with institutions of higher education are being encouraged, districts are subject to new analyses and ratings on student achievement, and students must meet new eligibility requirements for “automatic top 10 percent” college admission. Continued on 31 2015 Fall-Winter
School Bond Projects Continued from 30 For area school districts, it’s the perfect storm. “House Bill 5 has put a big push on career and technical programs,” HISD Chief Executive Officer Chris Contreras explained. “A four-year school isn’t for everyone, so we need to make sure that we’re serving those students who are interested and suited for agricultural, or technical fields. So a big push, is to provide [facilities] hat would support that.” And therein, lies the challenge. School districts are funded by tax dollars. A school’s tax rate consists of two parts: (1) Maintenance and Operations and (2) Debt Service. The former is used to finance the district’s General Fund, which pays for salaries, supplies, utilities, insurance, equipment and other costs of day-to-day operations, while the latter is used to pay off school debt. “Employee compensation makes up 80-percent of a school’s annual expenditures,” Dr. Abshier explained. “That doesn’t leave much money to do anything beyond trying to maintain what we already have. “A bond provides, pretty much, the only means we have of raising money that is required for new construction, major renovations, and major purchases of buses and technology,” he continued. “Bonds give us an opportunity to do more things than we could with the General Fund,” Dr. Johnson added. “These are big ticket items. We could not afford them if the bond did not pass.” A bond sale begins with an election to authorize a specific amount. If approved, the district is allowed to sell the bonds --as municipal bonds-as needed for capital improvement projects. Interested buyers submit bids, and bonds are sold at the lowest interest rate possible. Proceeds are used to fund construction projects, land acquisition and purchase of capital items including equipment. Principal and interest are paid over a period of time via the Debt Service tax. Bonds present a financial advantage for school districts. Similar to a mortgage on a home, costs can be spread over the life of the asset, rather than a single year’s General Fund, and taxes levied for the bond are not subject to the same for2015 Fall-Winter
Dirt flies as Hardin ISD builds a new elementary school.
mulas that reduce state funding. Additionally, because bonds mature at different times, expenditures for items with a shorter lifespan are paid off before the purchase becomes obsolete. However, for bonds to work, a district must have the public’s vote. “Bonds involve taxpayer money,” explained Rayce Boyter, principal with LISD’s architectural consultant Stantec. “And raising tax dollars in rural areas, where you have a smaller tax base is not easy.” Not easy, but possible. $138.1 million in school bonds approved In fiscal year 2014-15 voters authorized the combined issuance of $138.1 million in bonds between the school districts, initiating a chain of events that will forcer change the face of education in South Liberty County. District representatives and bond advocates put in the leg work. Approximately 130 community members served on Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC) throughout the area. Combined, district representatives completed more than 50 meetings, as well as countless presentations and interviews regarding their respective referendums. “Our CAC included educators, community members, business owners, and governmental representatives,” Contreras explained. “They traveled all across the 209-mile district, from the north to the south to the east to the west. They helped evaluate our needs, provided insight as to what the community wanted and needed, and
helped educate the public. They played a very important role in this process.” The efforts worked. DISD’s bond passed by a 92-vote margin; Hardin by 141, and Liberty by 397 votes. So what does $138.1 million get the taxpayers? Dayton ISD $87.8 million In Dayton, $87.8 million means two new elementary schools, to start. In May 2015, the district broke ground on the new Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and Dr. E.R. Richter Elementary schools. SFA will be located adjacent to Bronco Stadium, while Richter is being constructed adjacent to the existing DISD administration building. Amenities of the new facilities include covered pick-up and drop-off areas, state-of-the-art classrooms, and libraries, gymnasiums, commons and fine arts areas. Both schools will house students, grades K-5, a “crucial step” toward improving student success, the district says. “A K-5 campus is an important step for our students,” Dr. Johnson explained. “Benefits include improved student achievement, improved special programs, less transitions for students, less student travel, more class groupings and courses offered along with improved curriculum and instruction for our students.” “Underground utilities at SFA are almost complete, and are underway at Richter,” Dr. Johnson explained. “The drilling piers are nearing completion, and design teams have met and finalized interior colors, wood flooring, carpets, the library and cafeteria designs.”
South Liberty County Quarterly
Trustees also recently selected a bronco emblem to be embedded at the entrance of each campus, she added. Funds will also be used reconfigure Kimmie M. Brown Elementary to accommodate grades K-5, convert the existing Stephen F. Austin Elementary to a Support Services Facility, demolish the existing Richter Elementary, and incorporate Alternative Education and Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs at Nottingham Middle School. “Last year we graduated 60 kids in our Alternative Education Program,” Dr. Johnson said. “These are students who would be dropouts without this program.” Additionally, Nottingham will be renovated to accommodate new locker rooms, and the existing eight-lane track will be resurfaced to account for wear and tear. DISD dual groundbreakings In Aug. 2015, the district hosted groundbreaking ceremonies at both Woodrow Wilson Junior High School (WWJH) and Dayton High School. Improvements to the former include HVAC upgrades, new domestic waterlines, new classrooms, office areas, and a gymnasium to accommodate grades 6-8. Improvements to Dayton High School include construction of an 850-seat auditorium, six lighted tennis courts, eight classrooms, four science labs, and new practice gym with additional locker rooms. “Our biggest concern, at the high school level, is that we want our kids to have the exact same opportunities other school districts have,” Dr. Johnson said. “Thanks to HB 5, we have added, this past year, Forensic Science, Robotics, Medical Microbiology, but we need extra classrooms to accommodate these programs. “We need locker room facilities, practice gyms, not just for our girls and boys teams, but for our new ROTC program, which is busting at the seems. They need a place to practice as does our dance program. “We will also get six lighted tennis courts,” she continued. “Right now, when our tennis team needs to practice, they pile the kids on the bus and drive to Eagle Point, and they practice with competitors. This way, they can practice here, at home, and the community will get to use the facilities evenings and weekends.”
Continued on 32 31
School Bond Projects Continued from 31 The district’s Rodeo Arena will gain a covered roof and safety and security improvements will be incorporated district-wide, she added. Hardin ISD $16.8 million Meanwhile, Hardin’s $16.8 million bond will pay for construction of the new Hardin Elementary School. Located on a 192-acre site donated by Hull State Bank, the new 104,000 square foot facility will include a gymnasium, media room, library, music room, office areas, cafeteria with a stage, playgrounds and “plenty of parking spaces.” Timberline Construction of Lufkin, TX broke ground on the facility in May 2015. “Unfortunately, we have experienced a lot of rain this summer,” Contreras explained. “The ground was highly saturated and the contractor had to do a lot of reconditioning of the soil. “We had originally anticipated opening the school in the early summer, but we’ve pushed that back to the fall. And the contractors is working feverishly to close that window a bit tighter,” he added. The district also intends to demolish and “clean up and out” some of the older, existing elementary school facilities that are too expensive to repair, convert the newest building --which currently houses Pre-Kinder and Kindergarten--to the district administration office, and other buildings that still have useful life into maintenance, DAEP, and alumni facilities. Additionally, Hardin High School will get a new Career and Technology building, providing students with increased opportunities for career training while gaining the endorsements necessary under House Bill 5. The new facility went out for bid in Sept. 2015. The Board of Trustees awarded the $1.38 million contract to N&T Construction, of Beaumont, on Sept. 21, 2015, and construction is tentatively scheduled to break ground in Oct. 2015. “We hope to complete construction on the agricultural facility at the same time as the new elementary school,” Contreras added. “It will be tremendous for our kids.” Liberty ISD $33.5 million In Liberty, $33.5 million will address aging 32
technology and HVAC infrastructure across the district, assist in consolidating maintenance and transportation facilities in to one location, add infrastructure to accommodate growth in extracurricular programs, and address district-wide safety and security concerns. “We completed quite a bit of technology improvements this summer while the students were out,” Dr. Abshier said. “We added new devices to each classroom and we are continuing to make connectivity improvements as we speak.” In the meantime, the district -- in conjunction with the Texas Association of School Board’s (TASB) Planning and Construction Office, architectural consultant, Stantec, and Citizen Advisory Committee -- has laid out and created a budget for the construction projects. “We’re bundling the projects together to attract larger, more qualified general contractors,” TASB Construction and Facilities Manager Cameron Hollomon explained. “The general contract should be completed within the next 30 days and design documents ready in five to six months. Once those are complete, and everyone is happy, we will start breaking ground and start renovations in the spring.” “A lot of what we’re doing in Liberty is taking care of systems that are reaching the end of their useful life,” Stantec Principal Rayce Boyter added. “We’re just trying to help them get a more useful life out of the buildings they have. “These are additions to buildings that are not new or young,” he added. “Some of the existing facilities may have to eventually be replaced down the line, and taxpayers don’t want to pay for an addition now, to see it come down later. So we’re trying to put these new buildings in a position where they work today, and can be incorporated in a new design somewhere down the line.” To meet this challenge, the district plans to renovate the existing band and choir halls at Liberty High School, adding storage, and practice space. A new choir hall and theater arts classrooms will be added, and equipment upgraded giving student’s “practice,” and “performance” areas. A girls’ athletic field house and training room will also be added, tennis courts and tracks will be resurfaced, and lighting improved to meet UIL standards. Inspiring Volunteerism The school’s Ag facility - which was recently
expanded through the volunteer efforts of teachers and community members- will get new electrical capacity, two new classrooms, as well as expanded classrooms to accommodate process technology courses that will be taught in the building. Additionally, San Jacinto Elementary will see renovations in the gymnasium, restrooms, and lobby, and new classroom space. Liberty Elementary will get new walkways, a new library media center, science lab, new classrooms, ceilings, and teacher and student desks while Liberty Middle School will receive improved bleacher seats, new wall padding the in the competition gym, and new desks. “A lot of what we’re doing at the high school level is simply expanding the programs that are popular and busting at the seams,” Boyter added. “Overall, district-wide, we’re just giving kids the stuff that comparable districts already have.” More importantly, they are doing it at a minimal cost to taxpayers. In Aug. 2015, the DISD Board of Trustees made good on its promise to keep tax rates in check, passing an ad valorem tax rate of $1.4317 per $100 valuation for the fiscal year 2015-16. The new rate represents a $0.237 increase over last year -- with $1.04 allocated to M&O and $0.3917 to I&S -- but remains approximately four cents lower than the rate promised to voters. “The amount estimated back in summer of 2014 was an I&S tax rate of $0.4380 per $100 valuation,” DISD Associate Superintendent of Business Services Tami Pierce stated, “so we are actually below what we estimated a year ago by $0.0463.” Hardin’s improvements are also coming in below anticipated costs. “We’re way below what we originally anticipated we were going to be in our debt service program,” Contreras explained. “In 2015, the estimated tax rate for just debt service was $0.3871 per $100 valuation; that means, for a $100,000 home the tax impact would have been $387.14. “However, the community has grown in regards to oil and gas, as well as having a new pipeline going through our community. The change in property values has helped offset the cost of the bond,” he continued. “So because of that, the actual tax rate for debt
South Liberty County Quarterly
service ended up being $0.2477 per $100 valuation or $247.70 for a $100,000 home. That’s a savings of $139.40 for taxpayers.” To date, LISD has issued $23.035 million of its $33.5 million referendum. Approximately $21 million was allocated toward school construction and is slated to be paid off by 2035; $500,000 was allocated toward the purchase of new school buses and will be paid off by 2022, while $1.9 million was allocated toward technology improvements and will be paid down by 2019. The remaining bonds will be issued as the bus and IT bond financing is reduced. The staggered issuance helps the district ensure the tax rate remains below the $0.35 per $100 valuation promised to voters. But the districts still have a bigger promise to keep, one that pays dividends to the community. Learning is changing “Our kids’ ways of learning are changing,” Hollomon explained. “They’re able to decipher information and learn in ways we never imagined. There are now tools that allow them to learn, cohesively, with students in other states and other countries, and we need to make sure they have access to them. “We need to help our students, especially in more rural areas, have the same experience as kids in larger, urban districts,” he continued. “So that, when they get to the big schools, the Baylor’s, the A&M’s, they’re not intimidated, because they’ve had the same experience as their peers, and they can comfortably compete with kids from larger districts.” “What we’re doing, it’s an investment in the community,” Dr. Abshier added. “Houston is on the verge of becoming the third largest city in the country. People are coming here in droves, they have a choice of where they want to live. They don’t want to move in to an area that has old, worn out schools. “We know the kinds of families who value education -- they’re the ones who volunteer at churches, who are a part of civic organizations -- and they’ll bring commerce, tax dollars to the area they live. “As hard as we have tried to maintain our schools, we still have to invest in them,” he continued. “It’s an investment in the community that will come back many times over in education and commerce.” 2015 Fall-Winter
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South Liberty County Quarterly
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN HARDIN, TEXAS
Look, a Chicken! BY BONITA DAVIS, Contributing Writer
“
L
ook, a CHICKEN!” That was the cry of a 4-year-old as she passed one of the newest businesses in Hardin, Texas. The giant chicken is perched atop Hardin Feed Store. Not since Mr. Bobby Rawlinson’s humongous cow descended from the packing plant located further south on SH 146, has the town had a large animal
36
in its airspace. Well, the chicken has come home to roost, and the view looks pretty nice. Country singer, Justin Moore, croons about towns just such as Hardin, Texas, USA. The beauty of it lies in the consistency of the land and people, and that is the key to the economic development as well. A plan for economic development in a particular area involves sustained, concentrated actions of policy makers and communities that make the standard of living better. With some foresight, events were put into motion toward the direction of develop-
ment for the Hardin area some time ago. The fruits of that labor are beginning to bear. Some exciting progress is taking place just on the other side of the overpass on North SH 146 in Hardin. As the Grand Parkway is completed, new subdivisions may be built. People may move in as they begin to settle between jobs. Corporate expansion is probably not in the cards for the City of Hardin, typically a residential community. This is the place that a family moves to in order to safely raise children, sit and eat dinner, enjoy breakfast at Los Compadres, call in orders to go from Hardin Grocery, get meat dressed, just ride north on SH 105 to Chubby’s Packing Plant, or fill your freezer with everything from oxtails to ribeye. A trip to Chubby’s can always be given a jolt by finding a jar of homemade pickles with just the right seasoning, and of course some of the Catchings’ locally harvested honey. Tom Catchings has been a Hardin ISD Science teacher for over 25 years. The area has historically been populated with family-owned businesses. In the past, the natural resources of cattle and oil were a huge factor in the economy. Today, many residents still work the land. Some, however, are in the local workforce and commute. It is fortunate that as the population of the area has increased, more businesses have opened in Hardin. Townspeople are able to shop at home. This is advantageous to all. Hardin has a Dollar General Store. Recently, Subway opened its doors to Hardin patrons by offering free sandwiches and fresh baked cookies to customers while they waited. The parking lot is still seldom empty. On the heels of the Subway, came Valero, Midway. The Midway store hit the scene with milk at the price of $2.99, name brand bread $1.49 and eggs $1.49. Fuel was, and still is, at a discounted price. More and more folks are filling up their tanks at home. Nearly every store in Hardin now offers hot meals. There is Gina’s Diner, and for those who rise and make it before the town has wiped them out, David’s Donuts will satisfy the early morning sweet-tooth. You can get your tires changed, describe your
South Liberty County Quarterly
clunks and thunks, and get a quick, friendly smile at Lopez Tire. The manager of The Midway, or Valero, has spent the past twenty years working in the City of Houston. When asked, “Why Hardin?” he smiled an extremely broad smile, looked out the vast window at the serene view, and replied, “Peace.” Hardin is still an agriculturally active town in which the citizens have animals. Many of them raise animals for showing or breeding. Maci Feed is a first-class enterprise found on SH 146 with a wide variety of farm and agricultural needs. Gardeners need only make it to Mrs. Connie’s, and they can usually plant a garden full of whatever they want to cook, freeze, can or share. When it comes to economic development, there are several different components such as health, safety and literacy. Decades ago, Henry Gilfillian, Sr., earmarked the land that is now the future site of Hardin Elementary, and indeed other Hardin ISD edifices, agreeing with Former Superindendent Bob Parker that Hardin ISD would one day need the expansion. Longtime and much-beloved Justice of the Peace and School Board President Cody Parrish has been a part of the planning team for Hardin’s role in economic development in South Liberty County. Construction has now begun on the new Hardin Elementary School Campus. The literacy component is the key. Hardin offers a superior school system. Generations choose to remain here and raise children. Former students become its residents and employees. Hardin is a town that people generally want to revisit because of the small town atmosphere, wide open spaces, quaint shops, and quite honestly, the fantastic school system. Living in Hardin most definitely has endless attractions. One that strikes all of the senses is Friday Night Football. The beating of the Hardin High School Marching Band drums can be heard for miles around. The population sign boasts a mere 744, however, consistently on a given Friday night, between 1,000 to 1,300 Hardin fans pay tribute for the BLUE AND GOLD! 2015 Fall-Winter
LIBERTY OPRY
Music is the universal language of mankind. HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
The soul of a town BY JACOB STEWART Contributing Writer
L
iberty, Texas is a sleepy town resting on the busy stretch of road between Beaumont and Houston. It is Saturday evening and many people are relaxing, either with their family or preparing for church the next day. The town square is empty, save for one building in particular, Liberty Opry. The room is dark, except for a few dim lights along the walls. The seats packed with eager theater goers. I take my seat on third row, popcorn in hand. The Opry goes quiet as a voice booms from the other side of the curtains. Jay Cantu steps from the curtains, joined by his wife, Nina. Both look right at home on stage. Both are performers and both represent what many southeast Texans hold dear, a love of God and country. The Opry, an art deco themed theater, looks as if Clark Gable or Vivian Lee would walk out of those dark wood double doors. The building, built in 1938, looms above its neighbors. Originally the Park Theater, the building was a movie theater in the days when news showed before the movie itself. 2015 Fall-Winter
“Founded by John Cox, the building has only had one previous owner,” Jay Cantu recounts. The Cantus bought the Opry April 10, 2010. According to Jay, “The building was in pretty good shape, but we made a number of changes from electronics to painting. The theater itself didn’t need a lot of renovations. The building that now houses the concession stand was even the site of the old Vindicator office. “The seats had been replaced by Cox family. The stage was built by John Cox. We’ve gradually changed a few things… we added a couple of TVs to both the main theater and the concession stand.” When asked if owning the Opry has been a bumpy road, the Cantus looked at each other and smiled. “When we first bought the Opry … we asked ourselves, “How hard can it be?” Nina smiled and said, “After six months, I was told either come back or resign, because it is a full time job. It takes a lot more time than people think. We love this place; it means the world to us.” When asked how running the business has been, they replied, “We always try to keep ticket prices low. We are even starting to get a younger audience.” When asked where the Opry would be in five to ten years, they replied, “One thing
we are doing now is streaming the shows to senior citizen centers, as well as assisted living centers. Our goal is to get music and some entertainment to people who aren’t able to get to the music. We also sell videos and DVDs … Some of the homes cannot do streaming and those peoples only joy is seeing our show.” When asked if they will still be here ten years from now Nina smiled and said, “We hope that we are still here performing, we want to be here for people to enjoy. We want to be here because it blessed us, we’d like to bless other people too.” On the business side of things, Jay said, “We have partners that help support the Opry. For $25 they can have a seat that’s their seat, they also receive a discount at shows. Many have been coming to the Opry since it opened. It has been difficult every year, because we depend upon public support. We try to keep our talent as fresh as possible. The most important thing is that it is a Christian based program that can be enjoyed by grandparents and grandchildren alike.” The Opry is the place to be Saturday nights. Jay added, “We have couples that have been coming here from day one. Grandparents bring their sons and daughters, and they then bring their children.” The Opry is a place for old fashioned fun. If people are tired of new music and want
South Liberty County Quarterly
to get back to their roots, to hear something that was played on the radio when they were teenagers, then the Liberty Opry is the place to be. I was lucky enough to find a seat at two shows. The first, a Gospel performance, was very good. It was a mixture of traditional hymns and foot-stomping, clap-along southern gospel. Each performance features a special guest, this time it was Hearts of Grace. The second show that I watched was a 50’s and 60’s performance. The special guest was Heath Spencer Philip. The music was very good and the theatrics would have made even Elvis jealous. Some more famous acts that people can look forward to seeing are Johnny Rodriguez, Marty Haggard, and hilarious comedy routines by the Opry’s very own Booger Lee. The Cantus are very particular about the way the Opry is seen. “Anybody is welcome, the doors are always open. When you walk through our doors you become part of the Liberty Opry Family.” When I asked if Jay could elaborate on the Opry family, he had this to say, “We didn’t come to take something away from Liberty, we wanted to give back. We try to support the community.” I found this to be especially true, whether it was the smell of freshly baked pecan pie, the laughter of the other theater goers, or the hand shake of the Cantus, I felt right at home. 37
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Lions Across the County BY BONITA DAVIS Contributing Writer
Past Lion Presidents from Dayton Noon Lions, Hardin Lions and Liberty Lions stood to be recognized at the reception for Lions District 2-S2 Governor Noah Speer.
O
ne almanac describes Liberty County as a,” fertile crescent, nestled along the banks of the Trinity River.” Most assuredly the county is rich in history, land and other natural resources. Perhaps the most bountiful harvest found in South Liberty County is the endless supply of people willing to give their time and energy to help others. Among those who volunteer on a regular basis, make it their particular business to improve living conditions, promote literacy, and in general respond to calls for aid and assis-
2015 Fall-Winter
tance, can be found the members of the Dayton Noon, Hardin, and Liberty Lions Clubs. “We Serve,” is the motto of Lions Clubs International. South Liberty Lions are not timid in their service. All three clubs are deeply ingrained into the communities. The Liberty Lions Club was established in 1939. In 1956, they sponsored the Hardin Lions Club, and then in 1988 sponsored the Dayton club. A mere 101 years after the City of Liberty was established, a Lions club was formed. That speaks volumes of the willingness of
even early citizens to act on the desire to better their community through allying themselves with an altruistic global organization such as Lions Clubs International. As well as adhering to and being recognized for excellence in vision projects and other numerous other Lions Clubs International (LCI) incentives, all three clubs go even further in their community service. While both Liberty and Hardin Clubs meet bimonthly in the evening, Dayton is a noon club. An absolutely outstanding fact about this group of Lions is that they have several members with longevity. One member has
South Liberty County Quarterly
40 years. The members of this club were recently given the distinguished honor of being spotlighted in, Lion, the official publication of Lions Clubs International. One of their major events approaches as they prepare for their radio auction. This club is noted for its generosity to children during the Holiday season. Children and the elderly are a primary focus for the Hardin Lions Club. Like the Dayton club, the Hardin club distributes food. Over 15 families in the Hardin ISD and Continued on 40 39
Lions Across the County Continued from 39 Hull-Daisetta ISD area receive turkeys, all the trimmings, and several boxes of food for sustenance during both Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. This is a collaborative effort with Hardin ISD officials including High School Principal Richard Ressler, who issued a challenged to the high school students last year resulting in the donation of over 2,000 cans. The club began a dictionary giveaway to all third graders in Hardin Elementary with plans to expand to Hull-Daisetta Elementary this fall. Since 2002, a bright shining part of the Hardin club has been the LEO Club (Leadership, Opportunity and Experience for 12-18 year olds). The club has been active in Hardin Junior High and High Schools. The LEOs assist Hardin Lions at major events as well. The Liberty Club is forming a LEO Club at Liberty High School for the first time this year. Again, Liberty Lions Club was the sponsor of both other clubs, and is by far a leader in the district in its accomplishments. For over 75 years, the members of this club have worked diligently to upgrade standards of living, maintained sponsorships with Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts. This November, the Liberty Lions will install its own LEO club. The Liberty Lions Club is quite established within the community, and has a slate of annual activities that folks have genuinely come to anticipate. The Lions Clubs of South Liberty County are well known. Liberty Lions Club has recently celebrated being over three
quarters of a century old. That is a great many years serving the city of Liberty and beyond via scholarships, eye glasses, In addition, due to the fact that many of the residents in Liberty County are relatives,quite a few of the Lions have kin dispersed over the county. It is a networking system that allows for an “ear to the ground” perspective which in turn helps direct efforts to meet the needs of this ever changing region. At any given time among the Liberty County Lions can be found friends and family members kicking in toward the community effort. Lions from other areas are often guests and participants at South Liberty County Lions events. This is a place where the welcome mat is fully extended. Congressman Brian Babin, Woodville Lion, is a frequent visitor to area Lions events. His wife, Roxanne, participated at The Hardin Lions Pancake Supper, accompanied by a new Woodville Lion, Rachel Iglesias. Lions have found that inviting the community to become involved can be conducive to membership increases. It is the practice of LCI that for an individual to be invited to join any Lions Club, they must first attend several meetings and functions. A major fundraiser for all three local clubs is the distribution of flags on patriotic holidays. Each club displays flags at businesses and or homes six times per year: President’s Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Patriot Day and Veteran’s Day. One major charity that all Lions Clubs work for is to benefit the Texas Lions Camp. Texas Lions Camp is a totally free week-long camping experience for children challenged with physical disabilities, Type I diabetes, and cancer. Special needs children return time after time when they
Venus Davis Booker, the pancake lady
experience the camp. One thing that particularly stands out among the Lions of South Liberty County is the sense of camaraderie that exists. If one club has an event, it is quite probable that members of the other two clubs are in attendance. At Hardin Lions Annual Pancake Suppers, for years, Liberty Lions have manned the grills; in particular Past District 2S2 Governor Chris Moorman (Liberty Lion). The members of these South Liberty clubs attend the officer installations of one another’s clubs. Theirs is truly a spirit of togetherness! United we stood to welcome our the new 2S2 District Governor of Lions Club International, Monday, October 5, 2015, District Governor Noah Speer gathered with the South Liberty County Lions Clubs. He spoke of his incoming theme, “Together, We Serve.” This will not be a tough goal for Liberty County Lions, for strength in unity has been a long running component. Governor Speer encouraged Lions to have fun as “We Serve.” 40
South Liberty County Quarterly
2015 Fall-Winter
OUR LOCAL ECONOMY
Fitting the pieces together
Aerial photo by Kim Marlow
BY ANIKKA ROGERS Contributing Writer The dust simply refuses to settle. In northwest Houston steel girders and I-beams climb through the sky, and nestle together like giant puzzle pieces. To the southeast, barges -- ever increasing in size -- trudge more and more cargo to port, while industrial complexes snake outward, keeping pace with growth in untapped natural resources. Meanwhile, in the piney forests of southeast Texas, a couple of “down home” communities are bracing themselves for the impact. 2015 Fall-Winter
Liberty City Manager Gary Broz “The change is coming, it’s already started,” explained Liberty City Manager Gary Broz. “You see it on the roads. Try going out toward Wal-Mart at 3 p.m., traffic near Jefferson backs up to Generations Coffee. It’s a small change, but it’s going to get bigger.” One look at the greater Houston area provides a glimpse of this “change.” Despite sputtering oil prices, Houston continues to grow. According to the Greater Houston Partnership more than 500,000 residents have flocked to the 10-county area in the last four years. That’s the equivalent of the entire population of Spokane, Wash. The dynamic is petrochemical plant construction coupled with the ripple effect of
the Panama Canal expansion. Advances in fracking technology are allowing companies to recover more from oil and gas fields once considered economically unfeasible, thus reducing the cost of feedstock -- the raw materials companies have to buy to make their products. Area petrochemical companies are responding, adding capacity to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by new technology. To date, local industry has announced more than $40 billion in capital investment. In April 2015, ExxonMobil’s Baytown Olefins Plant announced completion of it’s Lubes Expansion project, which added “more than nine miles of new piping, 500 tons of structural steel and eight miles of
South Liberty County Quarterly
steam tracing, “according to the Port of Houston’s Economic Alliance Magazine. Meanwhile, in April 2014, Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou facility broke ground on the first component of its $6 billion plant expansion -- which includes construction of a new ethane cracker in Baytown and two new polyethylene unites in Old Ocean, Texas, and is said to be investigating the potential for additional expansions. Major expansions at LyondellBasell, Enterprise Products and Dow Chemical of Freeport, Texas, have also been announced and are anticipated to create approximately 30,000 construction jobs and more than 1,000 permanent jobs in the area. Continued on 42 41
Our Local Economy Continued from 41 Along the coastal waters, the Port of Houston continues to be ranked first among US ports in foreign tonnage. With approximately 6.5 million in steel tonnage crossing the docks last year, it has shown record increases in cargo terminals and is recognized as the second fastest growing container port in the U.S. According to the organization’s website, as the largest port in Texas, the Port of Houston holds 46-percent of market share by tonnage and 95-percent in containers; statistics that are expected to increase exponentially with the completion of the Panama Canal expansion. Growth, which means one thing -- even more jobs. According to the Greater Houston Partnership, Houston created 970,000 jobs between 1994 and 2013, an average of 48,600 jobs per year. Under moderate growth scenarios, the region will add one million residents per decade over the next 40 years. While fast growth scenarios predict an average addition of 2.2 million per decade over the next 40 years. Meanwhile the Texas Gulf Coast Consortium of Community Colleges predicts 1.6 million new and replacement jobs will be created along the Gulf Coast by the year 2020. Dayton Community Development Corporation Director Courtland Holman “If you look at the demographic predictions for the Greater Houston area, the University of Houston, Greater Houston Partnership, and the state are predicting the eastern region -- Liberty County -- will see an influx of anywhere between 64,000 to 180,000 people in the next 5-20 years,” said Dayton Community Development Corporation (DCDC) President Courtland Holman. “They’ll be lured by a variety of reasons,” he continued. “More open space, a community that feels safe, a place where kids can 42
Liberty Municipal Park
still play in the front yard, economically priced land and homes, and most importantly, job opportunities.” And thanks to new developments in the region’s transportation infrastructure, access to these opportunities will increase as well. Grand Parkway Segments H and I-1 In April 2014 the Federal Highway Administration approved the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Segments H and I-1 of the Grand Parkway, a 180-mile circumferential scenic highway spanning seven counties and encircling the Greater Houston region. Shown on governmental planning documents since the 1960’s, western portions of the Grand Parkway have already been opened; as have portions from IH 10 East in Mont Belvieu to FM 1405 in Baytown. Extending from US 59 in Plum Grove to IH 10 in Mont Belvieu, Segments H and I-1 include a 37-mile, four-lane, controlled access facility running through Montgomery, Harris, Liberty and Chambers Counties. Intermittent frontage roads and key exit ramps will provide improved access to existing rural areas, something Holman says, will have far-reaching impacts. “When you have an on and off ramp, providing access to the highway systems, it makes it easier to live in a rural area and go to work elsewhere,” he explained. “That brings more people.
“What follows is retail and industry, who can now quickly get their goods and services to that area because of increased connectivity,” he continued. “And that transforms state highways, like 146 into key connections to larger metropolitan areas.” For some, Holman’s prediction may sound like a pipe dream. But one look around Houston proves he’s right on track. Grand Parkway proof in Katy The opening of Segment D in Katy in 1994 brought two decades of growth to the area. Since breaking ground on Segment F-2, the Spring/Klein area has seen real estate developments including new HEB grocery stores, and a new 570,000 square foot retail center. Meanwhile, in northeast Houston, The Woodlands-based Signoreli Co., citing improved accessibility provided by Grand Parkway, has announced plans for a new Valley Ranch Town Center, featuring 1.5 million square feet of stores and restaurants, as well as a 70-acre commerce district with 1 million square feet of Class A office space, a conference center and hotels. In short, a perfect storm is brewing, and it’s heading straight for South Liberty County. So how are officials preparing? From the ground up. “We know that change is coming, but we don’t know when,” Broz explained. “So we have to make sure we have the plans in
South Liberty County Quarterly
place to accommodate the growth as it comes.” For the City of Liberty, he continued, that means taking a long, hard look at their infrastructure needs. “We’re trying to do this right, from the bottom up,” Broz explained. “Some people think you just have to focus on rooftops or businesses, but there’s more to it. You have to make sure you can service those rooftops and businesses.” To that extent, he said, the city has completed an estimated $5 million in sewer system improvements, $11 million in water system improvements and $4 million in electrical improvements, and has plans for more. “We recently converted all our water and electric meters so they can now be read from city hall and we have a new system that alerts us to any pending issues in our water and sewer facilities. We’ve also got some engineers on board for a new water tower and water well looping lines all over the east side of the city for future growth,” Broz continued. To further accommodate that growth, he added, the city recently extended Lakeland Drive to the State Highway 146 bypass. “There are several ways to attract growth to your area,” Broz said. “In this instance, we chose to build the street and let the developers come off the street and do their thing. We’ve taken this property to several trade shows. We’ve spoken to some commercial, some single- and multi-family housing units. And we’re trying to be open-minded, and listen to what works for developers, what they want and what [current and future] residents want.” In keeping with residents’ desires, Broz added, the city is also trying to achieve a “balance” between “what no one sees, and what they want to see.” “We’ve purchased new playground equipment, renovated the city’s big park. We’ve upgraded our EMS units, bought a tanker truck, a pumper truck, we recently upgraded our police department facilities,” he explained. “We’ve also done quite a bit of work at the airport. Continued on 44 2015 Fall-Winter
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Our Local Economy Continued from 42 “We’re trying to put together a total package,” he continued, “one that will bring attract more rooftops to Liberty, because we know more rooftops, mean more business.” Dayton City Manager David Douglas Just west of the city, the demand for rooftops is already increasing. Once a quiet rice-growing region, the city of Dayton’s growing rail lines, and developing oil, chemical and steel businesses have transformed it into a small industrial hub that is averaging 1.5-percent annual growth. “When I first came to Dayton nine years ago we were sitting at [a population of] 5,500,” said Dayton City Manager David Douglas. “We just had a population study done last year, and based on the sampling we were at 8,200. An that’s not bad for a town like ours.” The boom has, however, posed a few challenges. “Right now we have a serious housing shortage in Dayton,” he added. “The city and the developers are beginning to answer and address some of these needs. Portions of White Oak Trails and Stonegate are getting ready to open up for development and new duplex and apartment buildings are going up soon as well.” In an effort to assist with development, the city is working overtime to put in new infrastructure to accommodate growth. “We are doing everything we can with the limited funds we’ve got,” Douglas said. “Our city limits are sprawled out, and right now a major water line is running about $50 per lineal foot. For a mile that’s $264,000. So it’s important that we get everything right.” To ensure this, he added, the city is working on a planning study to ascertain infrastructure needs and growth areas. “This will give us an indication of where we need to be going,” he said. “We know where the Grand Parkway is going to hit, and we know that big time developers are talking to land owners in and around the 1960 area. But with infrastructure being so expensive, this will give us an idea of where the hot spots are and we’ll run there first.” The city is also ramping up efforts to meet the 44
direct needs of its residents, he added. In Sept. 2014, the Dayton City Council and DCDC awarded a combined $500,000 grant for construction of a new Memorial Hermann Urgent Care Clinic. Per grant stipulations, the clinic will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., be staffed with two doctors and will remain in operation for a minimum of five years. Additionally, in Dec. 2014, the city authorized the sale of approximately $7 million in debt to fund construction of a new public safety facility. The 12-acre site, which will house both the Dayton Police and Fire Department, will alleviate challenges posed by aging infrastructure and technology, and provide improved public safety services for the community. In Sept. 2015, city council members selected Houston’s Christensen Building Group as Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMAR) for the project, and anticipates beginning construction in winter 2016. “We’re working with our CMAR to put plans in place, and I think we’ll be ready to start moving in about three to four months,” Douglas said. “Once construction starts, we’re looking at hopefully, a year. “All in, we’re doing everything possible to improve our city for the residents that live here and the ones that are coming here.” And they’re not doing it alone.
Education Enhancements from Economic Development Both the Liberty and Dayton Independent School Districts recently passed bond referendums for school construction. Additionally, Lee College, in coordination with five area school districts, is in the process of launching the Lee College Education Center - South Liberty, which will provide dual enrollment, and career and technical training, in addition to children’s and senior adult programming. “From my previous experience, working in other cities,” Broz explained, “when you provide residents with a chance to take these weekend, and evening classes, and make more money in a trade or profession, you make your community better. “Education makes your workforce stronger,” he continued. “Jobs come to the area; people spend more money, which attracts more commercial and retail development, and makes your community grow. When you combine everything that’s going on here right now, it’s a great package to market.”
And the job of marketing these cities falls upon their sister organizations - the community development corporations. Established through local election, the Liberty Community Development Corporation (LCDC) and Dayton Community Development Corporation (DCDC) are type 4a organizations, funded through tax dollars, whose purpose is to promote community improvement and economic development within the city and state of Texas. “When you’re a business or an individual and you’re looking to relocate, the person you want to speak to, first and foremost is the economic developer,” Holman explained. “ Our job is to work with the brokers, work with city, with regional entities and the state to help you get through the system and get set up as quickly as possible.” And they have plenty of tools to help businesses do just that. “What we do is create incentive packages to help businesses relocate here,” Holman continued. “The packages vary, depending on the number of jobs created, average wages, capital investment, new taxes and sales tax revenue generated, but we do our best to provide tools like property tax abatements, among other things, to help businesses get set up here.” The organizations also put the effort necessary to market these incentives -- reaching out to publications including Texas Wide Open for Business, and Expansion Solutions Magazine, among others. Additionally, website features including property locator resources, provide e-visitors with a chance to look at options available throughout the region. These tools have proven useful. Dayton currently has eight industrial, three building and apartment and 17 commercial sites under development. Additionally, the recently approved 1,600 acre Gulf Inland Logistic Park is projected to bring more than 3,000 construction and 9,000 permanent jobs to the area.
Liberty Airport a business hub Meanwhile, Liberty economic development officials have confirmed they have several parties “interested” in developing the properties along the recently expanded Lakeland Drive, and are successfully converting Liberty Airport in to a business hub. “We’re marketing it as an ideal location to fly in, and then drive to meet with local business and
South Liberty County Quarterly
industry,” Broz explained. “We are so close to the port and petrochemical facilities, there’s no reason they can’t fly in here, refuel, take a courtesy car to their meeting and fly back home. We’re cutting their travel time and getting noticed.” Additionally, upcoming port expansions, coupled with the improved accessibility that will accompany completion of the Grand Parkway, are opening up possibilities for new containment facilities in the area. “Currently, the port just doesn’t have enough locations to store all of their cargo,” Holman explained. “They’re looking at alternate areas, including ours, because our property is inexpensive, we have the right wage scale, and [once the Grand Parkway is open] we will be a direct connect.” “The Port of Houston is a wonderful facility,” Broz added. “And we are working to put together the infrastructure to get ourselves in a position to, potentially, assist with getting goods out here, getting them on trucks, on rail and getting them off. “If that happens,” he continued, “that just means more jobs. After all, someone’s got to do the work.” Until that day comes, however, both the cities and economic development officials will continue to do their work, marketing their towns, negotiating deals and preparing their respective areas for future growth. “I think, what’s fixing to happen out here is going to be very similar to what happened to Kingwood/Atascosita, when they opened FM 2100 and came across the lake with West Lake Houston Parkway,” Douglas said. “That area just boomed. I have friends, who grew up in that area, and they say, it’s not anywhere close to what they remember. “We’ve got this coming, from the ground up, and I’m really excited to be a part of it,” he added. “I would say, in the next four years, by the time the Grand Parkway is opened in 2020, we could potentially be double our current size,” Holman said. “You’ll have new jobs coming in to town because of petrochemical and port development, as well as retirees leaving the workforce, but staying in the area. “You have to start preparing for the change now, getting the infrastructure and a strategic vision out there,” he continued, “because it’s coming.” “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle,” Broz added, “all the pieces have to fit in the puzzle at just the right time. But that time may be here sooner than we think.” 2015 Fall-Winter
TRADE DAYS
Small business comes in all shapes and sizes BY KIM MARLOW Feature Writer Anyone in a small town is familiar with the slogan “Shop Local”. It is a familiar plea in smaller communities to keep the mom-n-pop businesses thriving … to keep our hard-earned money within the communities we love. What many people don’t realize, however, is that not all small businesses have a brick and mortar storefront. These are the crafters and artists who may create their goods in a garage, home studio or even at their kitchen table. They
pour every ounce of themselves and their heart in the goods and art they produce. You may see them set up on the side of the road selling their crafts, in a corner in a small consignment shop or, even more likely, at a weekend flea market or craft show. Every month, the weekend after the third Monday of that month, Liberty has its own craft market – Faux Real Trade Days – at TVE arena on FM 563. With a huge variety of vendors, one may be amazed at what you can find there. Let me introduce a few of those vendors to you … each one offering a unique array of goods, each one doing what they love to make their living.
LULU’S JEWELS Era Schilling of Dayton has been drawing all her life, but only decided to sell her art about five years ago. That art includes amazingly intricate freehand drawings, done on six-inch ceramic tiles, entirely with Sharpie markers. She then applies a non-skid backing to each piece. Each tile is top coated to eliminate smudging and fading. She also offers her own unique jewelry designs and handmade fleece throw-type blankets. For Era, she considers her weekend business more simply “me time” … a way to relax and escape briefly from whatever stress life throws at her. In addition to selling her jewelry, Era likes to visit nursing homes and gift the residents there, mostly with jewelry, although she has taken other items as well. She enjoys giving and sharing her work with the residents, and says, “It makes their day … it’s so much fun!” She also has been known to give her wares away to children when she sees that something makes them especially happy and their parents cannot purchase it. Era is able to offer her work very inexpensively with smart shopping for all her supplies. She takes advantage of sales, as well as occasionally buying in bulk and resale. This also allows her to gift as much as she feels compelled to. In addition to Trade Days, Lulu’s Jewels may be found at Dayton Olde Tyme Days in April, and occasionally in 2015 Fall-Winter
Baytown. Era says she prefers to keep her business mostly local. Era has three grown sons – Don, Deran and Dane – and eight grandchildren . Lulu’s Jewels can be found on Facebook. South Liberty County Quarterly
HOUSE OF MISFIT FURNITURE For Pam Davis, who is originally from Daisetta, but now living in Baytown with her husband Steve, her custom furniture business, The House of Misfit Furniture, slowly evolved from necessity. Growing up with brothers, she learned early how to build things, becoming very proficient at woodworking along the way. Pam said, “When I first got married I painted all of our furniture white, because that’s the only paint we had.” She did all her own furniture repairs and built odd and end items as well, and when she was expecting her first child, she created a shelf from old wood pallets for storing her baby’s things Pam says she never thought anyone would like what she did enough to actually buy her work. She eventually started building things for others, and with a lot of family support, she finally garnered the self-confidence to turn her passion into a business. She began collecting the tools needed to create her own custom design furniture. To fill time and space she restores and refinishes older pieces as well. Everything she does, either custom built or restored, is made into a one of a kind creation. Both Pam and Steve laugh when she talks about the assumptions made by so many people that Steve is the furniture builder of the business. Steve proudly proclaims that he is the only guy he knows who can say he made his wife happy by buying her a new table saw for Christmas! Pam says, “Everything I’ve done in my life has led me to this,” including working in a furniture store. Faux Real Trade Days is the only show they regularly do right now, Pam and Steve have five children between them, as well as one grandbaby. The House of Misfit Furniture may be found on Facebook. 45
TRADE DAYS Continued from 45
PAWPAW & MIMI’S
TEXAS ART
EMPORIUM AND A UNIQUE TUTU BOUTIQUE
One of the more unique crafts you will find at Faux Real Trade Days on a regular basis is R.O. Hall’s Texas Art. How, exactly, does Hall define Texas art, you ask? Well, he does it with, of all things, license plates! Specifically, Texas license plates. Hall, who lives in the Dayton area with his wife, Susie, retired about 20 years ago. For much of that time he raised goats for local 4H kids. Roughly eight years ago he was at a trade show and spotted some art made with old metal Texas plates, which were welded together. While he found the art interesting and he knew he was capable of creating something just as good, he says he was no welder. License plates now are made of aluminum. Hall uses brads to construct the plates, rather than welding. He started out making birdhouses,
When Royanne, who lives in Tarkington with her husband, Chuck, decided to start designing and creating little girls tutus some time back, it eventually evolved into A Unique Tutu Boutique. It was initially something to keep her busy. After a while, she realized she could not make a living with just the tutus, and should diversify her skills a bit. With four wind turbines at her home, which had been rusting for about 15 years, Royanne designed them into rustic lights, and talked Chuck into building them. From there, the couple moved forward creating custom woodwork, with Royanne primarily designing and Chuck doing the building. They offer mostly rustic home décor and lighting. They still build turbine lights, and one of their more unusual designs is a faucet light, with mirror and shelf, designed for use over a bathroom vanity. They build a variety of clocks, shelving and rustic country chandelier type lighting. No two items are ever exactly alike since each is completely handmade, and new designs are added all the time depending on what materials they may come across. Royanne and Chuck opened their emporium in January 2015, when they started appearing monthly at Faux Real Trade Days. They operate both businesses there, and hope to expand to other trade shows in time. Both the emporium and boutique can accommodate custom orders as well. Royanne says they are making plans to eventually expand their business to a full-time endeavor., which will hopefully include a storefront to encompass both businesses. Both Pawpaw & Mimi’s Emporium and A Unique Tutu Boutique can be found on Facebook. 46
soon expanding his craft to include crosses and Texas wood cutouts, which are then adorned with the plates, trimmed perfectly in place. Hall says no two pieces of any art he does will be exactly the same, as each Texas
TEXAS CUSTOM LEATHER When Faux Real Design Company held the very first Trade Days at their Highway 90 location in 2014, Guy Poindexter, owner of TEXAS Custom Leather, was the very first vendor to sign on to display his wares. Poindexter’s work has been a constant presence at the monthly event ever since. Poindexter began building rocking horses about 50 years ago. He says growing up on a working ranch, with the nearest store at least 40 miles away to get something as simple as a gallon of milk, he learned to do everything himself to get by, including woodworking. The cowboys in the bunkhouse eventually taught him leatherwork as well. Both are skills he has perfected
through the years, creating amazingly intricate and detailed work on both fronts. Everything he creates is built to last a lifetime, of quality to pass from generation to generation. Poindexter, along with his wife, Shirley Langston, work together in their business, with her design and his labors. He also does wood burning and
South Liberty County Quarterly
shape is hand drawn without a pattern or mold. He then adorns them each in a unique pattern, to assure they are one of a kind. Hall says his craft helps keep him out of trouble in his retirement. How does Hall acquire the license plates to build his unique business? He says he worked for a Chevrolet dealer at one time, and they provide him with tradein plates. He also gets expired county plates, as well as many from his friends’ word of mouth. In addition to bringing his business to Trade Days each month, Hall occasionally sets up his wares on a corner somewhere in Dayton. He takes custom orders, even accommodating out of state license plates for Texas transplants. Hall proudly makes several charity and fundraiser donations, as much as business will allow.
custom leather tooling, creating such items as holsters, duty belts and cowboy rigs. In addition to Trade Days, you can find Poindexter at the Warrington Show in Round Top, Texas, at the annual Christmas show in Kemah and right here in Liberty at TVE in October. Along with his handmade wood and leather creations, he resells beautiful wall art, and Langston sells leather handbags as well. Langston owns a resale shop in Baytown called Watch Me Grow, located at 3626 Garth Rd. She carries primarily children’s items, as well as some women’s. Poindexter briefly – for six months – had a storefront located in Atascocita, but had to close when problems arose with the building’s owner. He is currently searching for a new location, and assures his customers that TEXAS Custom Leather will get going again in a new home! 2015 Fall-Winter
Paul Henry FLNB President
The state of local banking BY CAROL SKEWES Publisher publisher@libertycountyquarterly.com 2015 Fall-Winter
First Liberty National Bank President Paul Henry says, “FLNB’s growth is steady. Our deposits have grown over 102 years. We are right at $320,000,000 in deposits.” “We have had good, steady growth in all the deposits of other banks in the county as well, Security State Bank, Prosperity Bank (merging with Post Oak Bancshares, Inc.), Texas First Bank (formerly Hull State Bank) and Wells Fargo. “For the economic development of Liberty County, the bank mergers show we have some outside interest. This is a plus for the county. For us old timers, it means more competition.” Competition can be a good thing. Houston continues to move in this direction. On the Grand Parkway “That’s looking at a big crystal ball … When I graduated high school in 1967, my first course at A&M in economics claimed that in 2000 you would not be able to tell the difference between Houston and Beaumont, expanding from College Station to Columbus, that the Houston complex would be that big. They were a little off. I think we will continue to see steady growth in subdivisions and retail development.” He continued, “The primary reason they are pushing Grand Parkway is for Exxon, who wanted connections to Baytown. That is going to help growth along that corridor. There is space in our direction.” Refineries booming “The current situation is hurting businesses that are in the oil and gas production. They are hurting badly. The few that I have spoken to say this is as bad as it was in the 1980’s. Those who are lucky enough to have oil and gas interests are getting a fraction of what they got a year ago. Fortunately, the refineries are booming. Houston is continuing to grow. The housing and building industries, the refineries are almost at their peak. We have not seen the aftereffects like we did in the 80’s.”
Where do you see South Liberty County in 10 years? “We will be seeing the development from I-10 up SH 146 and possibly US 90 to Houston, with the major growth north of the refineries. Right now, more businesses that support the refineries are showing up. In Mont Belvieu, there are starting four to five houses per week. That will move in our direction.” Home loans Henry says, “Home loans are going very well, first time buyers and lowincome buyers are qualifying.” He thinks the feds may raise the rates, and says they have hesitated due to world market conditions. He added, “They are waiting to see improvement before making a move.” He suspects they will raise the interest rates by year-end, because someone must start the movement. How will Liberty County change as the growth happens? He thinks we will continue to be a commuter community since we are so close to Houston. Commercial loans have slowed down a bit. Henry said, “A lot of our commercial customers are in the oil industry. They are prepared for it so I don’t think we will see the people hurt like we did in the 80’s.” FLNB into the future Henry noted some changes, “We are looking for some people to work in our loan department. We want to expand that by a two to three people. “We plan to do some remodeling in Dayton. We are changing the civic room in Dayton into offices of loan officers. We believe that is where our growth is going to be and are gearing up for that. The plan by PELCO Construction is nearing completion and will cost approximately half a million dollars.” Looking back Paul Henry said, “When I grew up here, we had a lot more industry than we have today. Exxon, Gulf, Texaco all had regional offices here which allowed us to have corporate officers
South Liberty County Quarterly
and their families living in the community, working in the community, participating in the community. Now a lot of them commute and we never see them. They don’t have time to participate in the community. I would love to see some small corporate growth to where we have the corporate leaders becoming involved in the life of the community, in Rotary, in Lions and more. That would bring more stability where we could possibly have better amenities, such as improvements to the golf course and a community pool.” What shines in South Liberty County? Paul Henry loves the fact that South Liberty County has many unique attractions, such as TVE (Trinity Valley Exposition Fair & Rodeo, 107 years strong). When he brings people to South Liberty County, he tells them, “It’s a good small community where you get to know your neighbors. I enjoy going out to TVE to take people to the rodeo. I take them to Fontenot’s for etoufee. People from other places don’t understand the camaraderie we have here.” He added, “I think we have something to offer, including good schools, excellent plays, and some of the best restaurants.” “As far as South Liberty County, the next ten years are going to be very interesting. We are gong to see a lot of changes. Some we will like. Some we may not. In the banking world, for those who don’t think we can get services in South Liberty County, our banks have all the technology as well as personal service that you cannot get elsewhere.” Henry added, “We have a website and a suggestion box which comes to me. Many people are surprised about that. If I am in my office, I try to immediately respond. Usually, within 30 minutes, we have the question resolved. We have a great staff. My competitors are great. I deal with them all the time.” Ahhh ~ the benefits of a small town. 47
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