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400 Kenley St.
Diboll, Texas
(936) 829-4757
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City of Diboll Receives
DETCOG Grant
The City of Diboll has received $48,700 from the Deep East
Texas Council of Governments for a Health and Human Services
Commission Social Services Block Grant for Emergency
Disaster Relief Funds for areas affected by Hurricane Rita
and Katrina. This grant paid cost associated with the city’s
summer work program in which fifteen Diboll youth were hired
to work in various city departments including Parks, Street,
the Golf Course, Sewer and Walter Allen Pool.
“This was a great program and we would like to thank DETCOG
for providing this opportunity to the City of Diboll. While
the city hires youth to work every summer, this plan
provided a way for the city to be reimbursed, including the
wages of regular city supervisors for costs associated with
the program.” said City Manager Kenneth Williams.
The youth worked at maintenance in Old Orchard Park, along
streets and roadways, Neches Pines Golf Course, the sewer
plant and as Life Guards and supervisors at Walter Allen
Pool.
The Emergency Disaster Relief Social Services Block Grant
targets eligible clients, with an emphasis on high-risk
clients and serving older individuals with greatest economic
and social need, low-income minorities and those residing in
rural areas, who were affected by Hurricane Rita and
Katrina. |
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Diboll Council adopts 2007-2008 budget
Diboll Free Press
The Diboll City Council members met in regular session on
Monday, September 10, adopting the tax rate for fiscal year
2007-2008.
Following the approval of the budget amendment for 2006-2007
to reflect actual figures and projections, the council set a
total of $3,794,492.00 for the general fund and
$3,794,446.00 for expenses for the upcoming fiscal year.
Also adopted was the property tax rate of .4785 per hundred
dollars valuation.
Other items on the agenda included:
€ The renaming of Hendrix to Hendrick was approved.
€ The management firm of Raymond Van and Associates was
selected to provide administrative services for Texas
Community Development Program projects which includes
overseeing the completion of replacing old sewer lines near
the Diboll Housing Authority.
€ KSA Engineers was selected to provide engineering services
for the city.
After discussing health insurance coverage for city
employees, the Council members voted to let those to be
covered by health insurance consider either a PPO or HSA
coverage and renders their own decision.
The Diboll City Council meets the second Monday of each
month at Diboll City Hall, 400 Kenly Street, at 5:15.
Citizens are invited and encouraged to attend each meeting. |
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Emergency preparedness guide gives
shoppers tips on stocking up over a 20-week period
By BRITTONY LUND
The Lufkin Daily News
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita left behind hundreds of
misplaced people, lost and broken homes and a warning
message for the future: Be prepared. An emergency could
strike at any time.
Brookshire Brothers and the Angelina County & Cities Health
District have teamed up to help prevent a lack of
preparation the next time disaster strikes. The health
district put together a brochure of things to buy and do in
order to prepare. The list is broken up into 20-week
sections so that a person only has to buy or do a little at
a time over a period of 20 weeks to be fully prepared for a
disaster.
Brookshire Brothers printed the brochures, which employees
of Quality Marketing Group will be distributing in
Brookshire Brothers stores Wednesdays and Saturdays between
the hours of 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. through Oct. 13.
Brookshire Brothers customer Van Watson, the Market Center
President at First Bank and Trust East Texas, took two
brochures on his last visit to the store.
"It's good to have a plan," Watson said. "Awareness makes
you think about it."
Watson got one brochure for himself and one for his business
so that both could be prepared in the event of a disaster.
"The response has been great so far on this," said Betty
Dry, a Quality Marketing Group employee who handed out
brochures to customers Wednesday.
Individuals and business owners who follow the checklists
provided each week will avoid a rush to the store in the
event of an emergency such as a hurricane, pandemic flu
outbreak or power outage and the panic that ensues from
discovering that the overcrowded grocery and hardware stores
have already sold out of much of what that person needs,
including gallons of water and nonperishable food items.
"We all put things off until the last minute," said health
district director Sharon Shaw. "If each individual is
responsible for themselves and their family, it makes for a
stronger community."
The health district wanted to get people thinking about
preparing for a disaster ahead of time and give them a way
to do it in a cost-effective and easy way that will give
them a sense of peace knowing they've done all they can to
prepare.
"Often it's just having something tangible at your
fingertips to get you thinking about how to prepare," Shaw
said in a press release.
"By distributing the guide at Brookshire Brothers, people
can immediately start buying what they need at the store.
The checklist is designed to help you assemble your own
emergency preparedness kit in small inexpensive ways. We
appreciate Brookshire Brothers seeing the value in this
public preparedness project."
A spokesperson for Brookshire Brothers — a family oriented
grocery chain and a major employer in East Texas — said the
store hopes to prevent a last-minute panic and rush in the
community.
"Brookshire Brothers understands the importance of
planning," said Brookshire Brothers Director of Public
Relations Gloria McDonald. "During Hurricane Rita, we saw
thousands of people who waited too late to stock up on
essentials. By putting this guide in people's hands before a
crisis occurs, hopefully we can help them avoid some of the
stress associated with any type of emergency. We are honored
to partner with (the health district) in such a pro-active
way." For info, contact the health department at 632-1139. |
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FYI: Wilson is 'newest' Diboll city
council member
The Lufkin Daily News
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Q: Any word on who they got to replace the Diboll city
councilman that recently resigned?
A: Bryan Wilson, a former Diboll city council member with
six years' experience on that governing body, has been
appointed to the vacancy which came about after councilman
Gary Jones resigned so that he could pursue a job opening
with the city of Diboll.
Wilson previously served on the Diboll city council from
2000 to 2006 as a fellow councilman with current Diboll
Mayor Bill Brown, who had been a councilman for over a
decade before moving to the mayor's chair this past spring. |
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| City officials ask residents for help
in clean-up effort
Diboll Free Press
"Diboll is a city that we can all be proud of; however, more
needs to be done to clean up the unsightly conditions around
the city. There are a large number of dilapidated buildings,
junked vehicles, weedy lots and other conditions that are
not pleasant to look at." said City Manager Kenneth
Williams.
The City of Diboll will be focusing on beautifying the city
and making it even more pleasant to live. Through citizen
education and active enforcement the city will be ridding
the city of eyesores that have existed for too long.
"Some citizens are doing all that they can to make their
neighborhood pleasant to live, while adjacent property
owners are not taking the same positive attitude and letting
unsightly conditions to continue existing beside them", said
Williams. "These nuisances must be abated as to protect the
property values of all citizens of Diboll. We also realize,
however, that some of these problems are caused by absentee
landowners."
The city is asking all citizens to take proper care to make
sure that their property is clear of falling down buildings,
weedy lots, junked vehicles and other problems. If these
problems are not corrected then property owners will be
notified by the city to resolve the problem and given a
certain time period to do so. If the problems are not
corrected the city may take action to correct the problem,
bill the property owner for all cost (place a lien upon
property if the bill is not paid) or file a complaint in
municipal court for a possible fine.
Of course the city's goal is to gain voluntary compliance
and for all citizens to have pride in the city. The
stringent methods are for those who refuse to correct the
problems.
If you have a junked vehicle, dilapidated building, weedy
lot or unsightly condition to report in your neighborhood
please report the condition to Diboll City Hall at 829-4757. |
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Diboll council sets 47.85-cent tax
rate
By GARY WILLMON
The Daily Sentinel
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The Diboll city council has approved a municipal tax rate of
47.8508 cents to fund its upcoming 2007-08 fiscal year
budget. Action came at Monday's regular monthly meeting at
Diboll City Hall.
City Manager Kenneth Williams said the rate of 47.8508 cents
is 2 cents above the effective tax rate and is between 2 and
3 cents lower than last year's rate.
Public hearings for input on the city's budget have been
scheduled for Aug. 21 and Aug. 30 in the council chambers at
Diboll City Hall, Williams said.
Several other agenda items at Monday's meeting were tabled,
including appointing a councilman to fill a vacant council
seat through May 2008. Williams said the council has been
looking at potential appointees and will likely have a
nominee by the Aug. 21 meeting.
The vacancy came about when councilman Gary Jones resigned
to take a city administrative position which required him to
give up the council seat.
The changing of a city street name was also tabled so that
the public will have adequate time to give input. The
proposal is to change Hendrix Street to Hendrick Street to
reflect the correct spelling of the family name for which
the street is named. Hendrix Street is that portion of the
Old Diboll Highway that is inside the city limits of Diboll.
The street name change will be revisited in the Aug. 30
meeting for possible approval.
Action items that gained approval Monday included repair
work to be done on Hendrix Street between Borden Drive and
Ryan Chapel Road, and installation of a generator for a
water well. The accepted bid was in the amount of $45,587 by
Payne Electrical Contractors. |
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Diboll councilman tenders resignation
to apply for city job
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Diboll city councilman Gary Jones, newly elected to that
position in May, has resigned so that he can apply for an
administrative position with the city of Diboll.
Action came at Monday's special meeting of the Diboll city
council as the remaining council members approved Jones'
resignation.
"The city has an opening for the position of street
superintendent," said Diboll City Manager Kenneth Williams.
"Gary wanted to apply for that position, but in order for
that to happen, he would have to resign from being a city
councilman. So he did."
Jones served for a number of years as fire chief with the
Diboll Volunteer Fire Department before running for the
council seat this past spring.
Williams said the Diboll council would consider appointing a
person to fill Jones' place on the city council at the next
regular meeting, which will be Aug. 13. The appointee would
serve on the council through May 2008 when the position
could be placed on the next city election ballot, Williams
said.
Also in Monday's meeting, the Diboll council completed its
budget workshop sessions and are set to move forward in
approving a budget in the coming months.
Williams also reported that the city's water system was back
in working order after having a leak which shut the system
down briefly over the weekend and forcing a boil-water
notice for two days.
"The leak was found, and it was in a pretty isolated place
which made it hard to detect," he said. "We're still working
on the water line, but water service to all customers in
Diboll has been restored." |
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Diboll umpire making it in minor
leagues
By Josh Havard
The Lufkin Daily News
Saturday, July 28, 2007
When Diboll resident Daniel Blanton departed for the East
Coast for a season of umpiring in the Atlantic League, he
had a mixture of excitement and uncertainty.
While he was thrilled with the opportunity to umpire minor
league baseball, he did not know exactly what awaited him.
As the season enters its stretch run, the excitement is
still there, but the uncertainty is almost gone.
And while he is still referred to by some players as
"rookie," Blanton has proven that he can hold his own on an
everyday basis in the minor league.
"The game is so much faster than it is at the high school or
college level," said Blanton, who has also served as an
umpire at the collegiate, junior college and high school
level in the East Texas area. "This is baseball that is
almost at a Double-A or Triple-A level. You've got to be
confident in what you do. If you let these guys get under
your skin, then you're going to be in a lot of trouble."
In just his first year in the Atlantic League, Blanton has
already called games in each of the seven cities that host
teams. Those cities include Long Island,N.Y., Newark, N.J.,
Bridgeport, Conn., York, Pa., Somerset, N.J., Lancaster,
Pa., and Camden, N.J.
On Wednesday, Blanton was in Somerset, as the host team was
taking on the Long Island Ducks, a team that was recently
featured in an espn.com article focusing on the numerous
players who have major league experience.
While the Ducks have the most players with experience at the
top level, Blanton said every team has players with some
type of big-league experience. And while being on the same
field with those types of players is a thrill, he knows that
he still has a job to do.
"For me, I don't really talk to the guys on the field all
that much," Blanton said. "When you're out there, you can't
always be the nice guy. You've got to let them know that
you're in charge of the game."
While many of the faces on the field, such as Carl Everett,
Danny Graves and Pete Rose Jr., are recognizable, the most
noticeable face in the league may be that of Bridgeport
manager Tommy John.
John is most famous for the shoulder surgery named after
him.
Another manager, Sparky Lyle of Somerset, was a former
Yankees player.
"Tommy John's a great guy," Blanton said. "He doesn't really
gripe much, but he'll talk your butt off. Before the game
after the coaches meet, the other coach will be all the way
back to the dugout, and he'll still be sitting there
talking."
Blanton said some players and coaches like John can make the
job even more enjoyable.
Blanton also has plenty of help around him as the other
members on his crew have several years of experience in the
Atlantic League as well as even more at the collegiate
level.That can be an asset on certain nights, while on
others, it may make him an easy target.
"I'm with a couple of guys that have been in the league for
five and eight years," Blanton said Wednesday from his hotel
room in Somerset, N.J. "It's nice because those guys can
tell me what to expect out there. But at the same time, you
know that all the guys are going to try to get on to the
rookie."
And while his experience has been a summer of excitement, it
has also been plenty of work. Earlier this season, Blanton
went 36 games without an off day.
He also only has only three scheduled days off before the
season ends on Sept. 16. That includes traveling to
different cities at the conclusion of each three-game
series.
The seemingly non-stop schedule can take its toll, but
Blanton said it is an adjustment that both players and
umpires have to make.
"You look at it from the outside and you say that it's only
three hours of work so it shouldn't be a problem," Blanton
said. "But you do it day in and day out, and it can get to
be tiring.
"I had two surgeries on my leg after a car wreck a
year-and-a-half ago, so that makes it tougher. I do a lot of
stretching to try to help that out. What you have to
remember is that no matter how much of a grind it can be,
you have a job to do, and there are a lot of guys that have
a lot to gain or lose on the baseball field. Guys have been
there at the major league level before and most of them are
waiting for that call to get back."
As for Blanton, he knows that the major league is still a
long way away. But after getting the chance to call in the
Atlantic League, he is not willing to rule that out.
"You never know when there might be a strike or I might just
get lucky enough to get that chance, although it's something
I'm not really expecting," Blanton said. "But right now, I'm
just a first-year umpire that's looking for the chance to
come back here for a second year." |
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Diboll council OKs applying for parks
grant from state
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Diboll city council members have given their blessing to the
city's grant application with the Texas Parks & Wildlife
Department to help bring a new athletic complex to the city,
along with several other upgrades to existing facilities.
Action came at Monday's regular monthly meeting of the
Diboll city council.
The city is joining forces with Diboll ISD and the local
youth baseball/softball program in making the parks grant
application to help fund a new baseball/softball, tennis and
soccer complex for the Diboll High School campus.
The proposed facility was presented as an information item
in April at the Diboll school board meeting by DISD Athletic
Director Gary Martel.
"The proposed project would add parking, T-ball fields,
soccer fields, tennis courts, a baseball stadium and a
softball stadium just east of the existing Lumberjack
football stadium," Martel said, adding that the 25-acre site
owned by the district is predominantly forested and not
currently being utilized.
The project would cost a total of $1 million — $500,000 from
TP&W if the grant is approved, and $500,000 from a matching
grant. The school district has indicated it would help
defray costs by using timber sale proceeds from the
property.
The proposed grant would also help the city of Diboll make
upgrades to existing facilities in Old Orchard Park, a city
park that is used heavily during the spring and summer
months by Diboll's youth baseball/softball association.
Hudson ISD obtained a similar Parks & Wildlife grant about
10 years ago to build its current ballpark complex, which it
shares with that community's youth baseball/softball
program.
In other action at Monday's Diboll council meeting, members
discussed but delayed taking action on a proposed street
name change. Hendrix Street, which is the Old Diboll Highway
within the city limits of Diboll, has for years been
misspelled, according to family members who are proposing to
change the street name to the correct spelling, Hendrick
Street. However, council members chose to make sure all
parties involved in the name change had proper notification
before taking any formal action.
Council members also met with attorneys in executive session
regarding the city's ongoing negotiations with Temple-Inland
regarding the Eason Lake Water Project. However, no action
was taken in open session on that topic, and talks are
continuing.
Diiboll's long-range water plans include wells to be drilled
on Temple-Inland land in the area of Eason Lake, located in
far west Angelina County between Hudson and the Neches
River.
The Diboll city council will meet again Monday, Aug. 13, at
5:15 p.m. at Diboll City Hall.
Gary Willmon's e-mail address is
gwillmon@coxnews.com.
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| Kick-off Classic draws golfers from
throughout East Texas
Diboll Free Press
Members of the Diboll High School (DHS)
coaching staff hosted their first-ever Kick-off Classic Golf
Tournament this past Saturday at Neches Pines Golf Course
and according to DHS Athletic Director Gary Martel it was a
great tournament.
"We are extremely pleased with the number of players that
participated in our tournament. We had a total of nine teams
that turned out and beautiful weather for the day.
The tournament got underway with a shotgun start and when
the final putt was made, the four-man team of Tommy Day,
Eric Wright, Willie Ricks and Todd Ricks walked away with
first place posting a score of 59.
Second place honors went to the team of Luis Maldanado,
Jimmy Mettlen, Henry Houl and Kenny Williams with a total of
61. Ron Whitmire, Charles Redwine, Jim Laudermill and Trey
Biggs took third place with a score of 61.
Other prizes went to Tommy Day, closest to the pin on 17;
Hector Hernandez, long drive and Jimmy Mettlen, closest to
the pin, on number 3.
Other participants include Gerardo Rojas, Hector Hernandez,
Robert Compean, Daniel Zarzoza, T. J. Johnson, Randy
Prescott, Tom Farley, Richard Farley, John Burnett, Brian
Kruk, John Martin, Edwin Quarles, Jimmy Davis, Gary Martel,
Bruce Bolden mark Kettering, Larry Baker, Fox Adams, Leslie
Kilgore, Roy Allen, Matt Knight, Duncan Culpepper, Chris
Lashley and Emily Breedlove.
Martel said, "We want to thank each and everyone who
participated in our tournament and a special thanks to our
sponsors. The proceeds raised from the event will benefit
our athletes, both boys and girls, during the upcoming
school year. Next year we anticipate more prize money and
the event will include using handicaps."
Sponsors for this year's event included First Bank & Trust,
Service Master, Advanced Financial Group, Flowers Paint &
Bidy, Stephen Lewis Insurance, McWilliams & Son A/C, ABC
Auto Parts, Ron's Trophys, AAA Trophy, Martel Welding Works,
F&F Sports, Kingman Construction, Morrison Supply,
Gann/Medford Realtors, Pouland's Shadetree Photography, Lynn
Pavlick, Angelina Steel, Pepsi and The Donut Shop. |
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Renaissance Awards presented for
outstanding achievements
Diboll Free Press
Diboll students were celebrated Monday evening in front of a
full capacity audience of family, friends and well-wisher's
at the 18th Annual Renaissance Academic Banquet held at the
Lottie and Arthur Temple Civic Center in Diboll.
Students were honored for their hard work in academics,
class electives and numerous UIL activities. Amongst the
winner's were Yesenia Herrera as Student of the Year,
Heather Bergman as Teacher of the Year, Sabrina Fisher
garnered Parent of the Year honors, and finally Linda
Cordell was given a Ted Moore "Champion for Children" Award.
Sponsors for the event included Sonic of Diboll, DEMCO,
Diboll PTSA, Billie Lamb, Diboll Volunteer Fire Department,
Dr. Ken Handley, Chad Morgan Insurance, Wilkerson Tax
Service, Cassels and Reynolds, CCP, The Center for Sight,
Cellular One/Mobile Destination, Johnny and Fran McClain and
The Pilot Club of Diboll.
Also, Huntington Insurance, J. E. Kingham Construction
Company, East Texas Tupperware, Indoor Mini-Golf, Diboll
Housing Authority, Diboll Booster Club and Jerry and Mary
Benson.
Visitors and guests were welcomed by Daniel Lopez and a
prayer was led by Carlos Moreno.
Following a delicious meal, Jan Wilkerson introduced award
presenters, who in turn, presented the prestigious awards.
Due to limited space, pictures of the event and winners will
be run over the next few weeks. Congratulations, all. |
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"Clean-up Diboll Week" planned for April
9-14; new collection sites added throughout city
The City of Diboll is announcing April 9-14 as Clean Up Week
in the City. All citizens are encouraged to use this annual
spring cleaning opportunity to get rid of junk and debris in
your neighborhood. This activity will coincide with the
Diboll Beautiful Clean and
Angelina Beautiful Clean annual clean up day on April 14.
Along with the curbside service, the City is establishing
collection spots where containers will be placed in
neighborhoods so citizens can place their items without the
delay of curbside pickup. Proposed locations of containers
are Burkhalter Street, near the corner of Robert Nash &
Lynn, near the Deer Trace Subdivision at the end of Red Bud
Street near the corner of Locust & Neil Pickett, and
Arrington & Birdsong. The containers will get regular
service as not to provide unsightly conditions in
neighborhoods.
Junk items and "white goods" such as old furniture,
appliances, water heaters, washers, etc. will be collected
at the curb or can be brought to the containers.
Refrigerators, air conditioners, freezers, etc with Freon,
tires, and batteries, will not be collected for disposal.
These services will be provided at no additional cost to
citizens of Diboll. A partnership with Pineywoods Sanitation
will provide a donation of the containers and disposal. All
citizens of the City of Diboll are encouraged to participate
in keeping our city clean.
For further information or to schedule curbside pickup
please call Tina Cavazos at Diboll City Hall at
936-829-4757. A request for pickup can also be made on the
city's website at www.cityofdiboll.com under the services
menu. |
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 IN
APPRECIATION - Diboll Mayor James Simms (right), presents
Betty L. Capps with a token of appreciation for her 29 years
service to the city. Ms. Capps, who retired on February 28
from her municipal clerk position, says she will miss her
fellow employees and appreciates each and every one. “I have
worked in several departments within the city and seen a lot
of progress, especially the installation of computers to
make our work easier. We used to have to do it all by hand.”
For the past several years, Ms. Capps has worked as
municipal court clerk and Judge R. G. Bowers, shown in
background. Betty plans to do volunteer work and spend more
time with her grandchildren. She has two children, Lisa
Heath, a teacher at Diboll Junior High School and her
husband, J.P. who is sports director for Yates Broadcasting
and Robert Capps, an employee of the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice in Woodville and his wife Kym, a teacher at
Temple Elementary. Their two sons, Josh and Jaron are both
students in Diboll. (Photo by Billy Longino) Photo and
copy courtesy of the
Diboll Free Press. |
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The 2007 Diboll Project Graduation Parent
Committee has been hard at work this year raising funds for
the drug and alcohol free all-night party for the seniors on
graduation night. The committee has had several fundraisers
including the selling of Lumberjack candles were sold, a
raffle on a hand-crafted swing, a Spook House, and a
Valentine steak dinner. Members also worked in the
concession stand during football season, sold items at
football games, sponsored a dunking booth during Diboll Day
and much more! They still have a lot more to accomplish and
have scheduled more fundraisers including Kid's/Family Bingo
on March 24 at the Boy's & Girl's Club from 2 to 4 p.m.,
March 31; a fish fry, and coming in April, a womanless
beauty pageant featuring senior boys. Emcee for this event
will be Coach Gary Martel. This should prove to be a very
entertaining event with a talent and evening gown
competition! There will be a dessert auction the night of
the beauty pageant. Watch for news of a car wash also coming
in April.
The Project Graduation committee will gladly accept any
donations from the community. If you would like to make a
donation, mail to Project Graduation, P.O. Box 312, Diboll,
Tx. 75941.
You can contact Renee Waters 829-4798 or Tammy Joseph
632-8485 for more information or to give them a donation.
Diboll Free Press |
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Diboll council approves street closure to
accommodate library expansion
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Residents of Diboll will give up a piece of a city street in
order for the city's public library to expand.
Diboll city council members, meeting in regular session this
week, gave their unanimous approval to closing off the
southern portion of Park Street in order to accommodate the
upcoming $2 million expansion and renovation of the T.L.L.
Temple Memorial Library.
"Due to their expansion, the library board requested the
closing of Park Street," said Diboll City Manager Kenneth
Williams.
Park Street runs the length of the western perimeter of the
library. Additional property that was donated several years
ago and is now owned by the library is located across Park
Street from the library and is to be tied in with the
expansion project. "According to plans furnished by the
board, the library will expand on the west and north sides
of the existing property," Williams said.
The partial closing will involve one-quarter of an acre,
Williams added.
The library expansion, which will add 7,123 square feet of
space to the current building, will effectively double the
size of Diboll's library. Groundbreaking is planned for
April 25, which will be 44 years to the day of the library's
opening in 1963.
Plans for the library expansion were based on significant
input gathered over the past two years from community
surveys, according to Librarian Brenda Russell. In addition
to the surveys, program and service evaluations and
strategic planning reports were prepared by Sheila Ross
Henderson, director of the Pasadena Public Library and
Houston Area Library System consultant.
"Because the library has been in a prominent location within
the Diboll community since its opening in the 1960s, a major
goal of the renovation is to preserve the look and feel of
the building," said Kathy Sample, chair of the library
board.
Malcolm McKinley of Goodwin-Lasiter Inc. will be the project
designer, Sample said. McKinley, who has won numerous awards
for his architectural plans, may be best known for designing
The History Center in Diboll.
In other action, the Diboll city council approved
reappointment of James Rhone, Stacy Cooke and Roy Hall to
the city's housing authority board, approved the city's
annual audit report as given by Eric Carver of Axley & Rode,
and approved an amendment to the municipal maintenance
agreement for the furnishing, installing, operation and
upkeep of traffic signal cameras on highway rights-of-way.
"This action allows for placing of the equipment on TxDOT
property," Williams said.
Ana Castillo was approved as election day judge for city
elections May 12, and Juanie Vasquez was approved as
election clerk.
In information items, Williams made the council aware that
the city's new Web site is operational at
www.cityofdiboll.com. "The Web site was prepared by Bill
Cameron Consulting," Williams said. "It provides interactive
video and audio capability. The ability to make requests for
city services and the providing of information about the
city of Diboll are features of the site."
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PRESS RELEASE
CITY OF DIBOLL ANNOUNCES NEW WEBSITE
March 5, 2007
The City of Diboll is excited to announce the
establishment of a new website on the internet at
www.cityofdiboll.com This is a completely remodeled site
that offers interactive capability as to make request to
city staff for city services.
City Manager Kenneth Williams states, “The
idea of the site is to provide information and the ability
to make request by the citizens of Diboll and anyone who
seeks information pertaining to our city. The incorporation
of the latest website technology makes it one the best
websites in the East Texas area with the capability to
expand in the future”.
Some highlights of the new website are the
use of flash technology which displays scenic pictures of
local facilities which are showcased on an ever changing
screen. Information is kept current through almost daily
updates of the pages. Citizens will be able to make personal
request by placing work orders for city services such as
pothole repair, street light repair, building permits,
access city council agendas, review past city council
minutes, review jobs, submit job applications or report any
other types of problems they might have in the City of
Diboll.
The latest press releases of current events
will highlight the front page with many consisting of video
content. A calendar of upcoming city events will be on
display also. Online users will be able to have access to
over thirty links to local websites in the area.
In the government section are photographs and
biographical information on Mayor James Simms and Council
members Bill Brown, Ricky Connor, Don Hendricks, Gandy
Stubblefield, and Jan Wilkerson. There are pages where you
can send information and make request directly to City
Manager Kenneth Williams and City Secretary Tina Cavazos.
Telephone numbers and e-mail addresses will soon be
available for all city departments. A brief summary of the
fiscal year budget is also available in this section.
Each city department has their own page with
pertinent information about the activities of the
department. For example the Civic Center page has rental,
contact, pricing and facility capability information for
citizen’s review. Other pages are for the Golf Course, Parks
Department, Water/Sewer, Police, Fire, Streets and Municipal
Court.
Future capabilities of the website may be to
provide utility bill paying, view videos of events in the
city including City Council meetings and payment of fines.
The City of Diboll’s new website address is
www.cityofdiboll.com and the webmaster is Bill Cameron
Consulting.
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FYI: Ticket for running red light
caught on camera goes to car owner's address
The Lufkin Daily News
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Q: When Diboll's traffic-signal cameras begin operating and
people start getting tickets mailed to them for running a
red light, how will that all work? How will they determine
who gets the ticket, or whose driving record it goes on?
What if a person's son or daughter happens to be driving the
parents' car and runs the red light? Will the parent get the
ticket, since the car is registered to them?
A: Kenneth Williams, city manager for the city of Diboll,
said the procedure will operate much like someone receiving
a parking ticket on their car. It is the car that is
ticketed — by way of using the license plate number from the
vehicle as it is photographed — and not the person. The
company installing the cameras does the mailing of the
citation and receives a percentage of the fine or fee
collected by the city of Diboll from the offender.
The address of the car's owner, as it is registered with the
state of Texas, is where the citation would be mailed,
Williams said. He added there is no way for the city or the
camera company to distinguish who is driving the car, so the
ticket goes to the owner of the car. However, since there is
no actual traffic stop where the offender signs a ticket, it
would not show on a person's driving record in the same
manner as an actual stop by a police officer for an observed
violation of traffic laws.
The city of Huntington is not far behind Diboll in
implementing a traffic signal camera to catch red-light
running motorists. The city of Lufkin is considering the
same procedure but hasn't yet acted on the proposal. |
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East Texas governing entities have
bond, loan debts big, small
By CHRISTINE S. DIAMOND
The Lufkin Daily News
Saturday, March 03, 2007
From IRS returns to property tax payments, those in the
throes of tax season are often overcome with skepticism and
concern regarding where and how government spends the
hard-earned American dollar.
Fixated on perceived wasteful spending, concerned citizens
often overlook another budget stumbling block — debt.
The Texas Bond Review Board tracks debt carried by cities,
counties, schools, colleges, health districts and water
districts. Anyone can monitor these bonds or loans online at
www.brb.state.tx.us, which provide debt status as of Aug.
31, 2006.
Considering Angelina County taxpayers just built a jail
funded by a $10.5 million bond, passed in the 2000 general
election, taxpayers shouldn't be too surprised by its total
$13.84 million obligations. By the time the last of these
notes matures in 2022, Angelina County taxpayers will have
paid an additional $6.19 million in interest.
County taxpayers are also paying off Angelina College's
$11.2 million in debt and $4.26 million in interest — which
matures in 2021.
Comparatively, Nacogdoches County plans to clear $19.75
million in principal debt, plus $6.49 million interest, by
2024. And Polk County taxpayers will be paying off $29.1
million plus slightly less than that in interest until 2026.
Meanwhile, more rural surrounding counties have little to no
debt — like Trinity County.
Houston County's $540,000 loan, and $32,725 interest,
matures this August.
Cherokee County is six years away from paying off a $3.95
million debt and $594,089 in interest.
Another decade will pass before before San Augustine County,
which owes $1.6 million in principal and nearly as much in
interest, and Jasper County, which owes the same amount of
interest but twice as much in principal, pay off their
outstanding debts.
Then there is municipal debt, usually related to sewer and
water improvements.
Lufkin, the Angelina County seat, leads with $56.92 million
in debt. When the last of 13 bonds matures in 2025, the city
will have paid an additional $21.45 million in interest.
Down the road, Diboll is paying off $8.12 million in
outstanding debt due by 2025, by which time the city will
have paid $2.35 million worth of interest.
Huntington's four outstanding bonds for $4.4 million and
$2.5 million interest mature in 2026.
The city of Zavalla's $941,000 debt, and slightly less than
that in interest, should be paid off by 2039.
Hudson has seven years to pay off its half-million dollars
in debts and $110,709 in interest. |
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Temple-Inland to sell strategic
timberland
From the Diboll Free Press
Temple-Inland Inc. announced Monday that its Board of
Directors has approved a transformation plan to unlock
shareholder value through the separation of Temple-Inland
into three focused, stand-alone, public companies and the
sale of its strategic timberland. The plan includes:
€ Retaining its manufacturing operations - corrugated
packaging and building products,
€ Spinning off its financial services operation,
€ Spinning off its real estate operation, and
€ Selling its strategic timberland
The Board and management of Temple-Inland are committed to
maximizing value for shareholders.
“We have constantly maintained a focus on maximizing
shareholder value and over the years have evaluated a long
list of strategic alternatives, including all of the
elements of the transformation plan announced today. Taking
advantage of current market conditions, this transformation
plan will unlock shareholder value in a very tax efficient
manner and provide our shareholders ownership in three
outstanding businesses. Each of the three public companies -
manufacturing, financial services and real estate - will be
well positioned in the marketplace, have an appropriate
capital structure and will benefit from greater strategic
focus,” said Kenneth M. Jastrow II, chairman and chief
executive officer.
“We have made great progress at Temple-Inland,” said Mr.
Jastrow. “Over the past five years, we have generated total
shareholder return of 107%, compared with 39% for the S&P
500 and a negative 5% for our peer group median. We have
returned $710 million to shareholders over the past two
years through share repurchases and dividends and have
increased the dividend each of the past five years. Despite
this progress, we are implementing this bold plan to
transform our Company in order to unlock shareholder value
and provide a platform to continue to provide shareholders
with superior long-term returns. We are very excited about
the future.”
Temple-Inland - Corrugated Packaging and Building Products
Upon completion of the transformation plan, Temple-Inland
will be a low-cost, highly efficient manufacturing company
focused on corrugated packaging and building products.
Corrugated Packaging operating income has improved more than
1,000% since 2003 and our building products operation has
achieved record earnings each of the past three years.
“Our corrugated packaging operation has made significant
progress, driven by execution of strategic initiatives,
focusing on full integration and increasing asset
utilization. Since 2003, we have generated $225 million in
business improvement, and we expect to generate an
additional $75 million by focusing on manufacturing
excellence within our box plant system and further
operational efficiency in our containerboard mills,” said
Mr. Jastrow.
“Our building products operation manufactures a diverse line
of products for new home construction, commercial, and
repair and remodeling markets. Our facilities are state-of-
the-art, low-cost and well-located to serve areas of the
country projected to experience the highest rate of demand
growth.”
Corrugated packaging operation includes: Capacity
€ 5 linerboard mills 3.2 million tons
€ 1 corrugating medium mill 0.3 million tons
€ 64 converting facilities 3.7 million tons of production
Building products operation includes: Capacity
€ 5 lumber mills 1,070 mmbf
€ 4 gypsum wallboard plants 2,100 mmsf
€ 5 particleboard plants 880 mmsf
€ 1 fiberboard plant 460 mmsf
€ 2 medium density fiberboard plants 300 mmsf
“Going forward, Temple-Inland will be a focused, leading
manufacturing company positioned to continue to drive return
on investment (ROI) through increasing asset utilization,
lowering operating costs and improving efficiency. We will
also continue to be a market-driven, customer-oriented
company. We are confident the new Temple-Inland is well
positioned for the future,” concluded Mr. Jastrow.
“Financial Services achieved record earnings in 2006 of $222
million, a record for the third consecutive year. Over the
past ten years, Financial Services has earned $1.8 billion
and averaged a 20% ROI. Guaranty Bank has consistently grown
its deposit base by focusing on customers who value
high-touch, high-service. The Bank's branch network is
located in Texas and California, the largest and most
rapidly growing deposit markets in the U.S. Guaranty is a
national lender, with single-family mortgages in every state
and a wide range of loan products targeted in over 30
markets nationwide. Financial Services is ideally positioned
to continue to serve its targeted customers and has a solid
foundation for growth and continued strong financial
performance,” said Mr. Jastrow. Guaranty Bank is a
federally-chartered stock savings bank that provides
consumer and commercial banking activities through 100
banking centers in Texas and 53 in California, and lends
nationally in diverse geographic markets. The Texas banking
centers are concentrated in the metropolitan areas of
Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin, as well
as the central and eastern regions of the state. The
California banking centers are concentrated in Southern
California and the Central Valley. In addition, Guaranty's
insurance operation is the 30 th largest in the U.S. with
offices in Texas and California, and provides a wide range
of insurance products and risk management services to its
customers.
“Our real estate activities include over 236,000 acres, 85
projects in eight states and twelve markets. Our strategy
for real estate is value creation. We have currently
identified over 215,000 acres of high-value land located in
growth corridors, thus providing the opportunity to create
value through entitlement and real estate development.
Securing entitlements creates the largest proportional
increase in value and in 2006, we entitled five projects
totaling 2,181 acres and began the entitlement process on
another 4,890 acres. The most significant concentration of
our real estate holdings is around Atlanta, Georgia with
over 205,000 acres of real estate property.
Atlanta is the largest homebuilding market in the U.S., and
over time its projected growth will create significant real
estate development opportunities. We believe there is
substantial opportunity to accelerate the creation of
shareholder value by operating this business as an
independent public company,” said Mr. Jastrow.
The real estate business, which operates under the name
Forestar Real Estate Group, is focused on real estate
investment and development activities which include
single-family residential, commercial, mixed use and
multi-family housing projects.
Business to be Sold
“Our strategic timberland is located in some of the best
fiber demand markets in the U.S. and represents a very
valuable resource base. Fiber growth on our timberland is
accelerating, and we expect fiber growth to increase 50%
over the next ten years and double over the next 30 years.
The mix of sawtimber versus pulpwood is also expected to
increase,” said Mr. Jastrow. Our timber holdings consist of
approximately 1.8 million acres of timberland located in
Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia. In connection with
our timber holdings, we also own mineral rights on 388,000
acres in Texas and Louisiana and 351,000 acres in Alabama
and Georgia.
As part of the transformation plan, we anticipate
consummating appropriate fiber supply agreements and
transferring approximately 100,000 acres of our strategic
timberland into Forestar Real Estate Group.
The sales process for the Company's strategic timberland is
expected to begin immediately. The majority of proceeds from
the sale will be returned to shareholders. A portion of the
proceeds will be used to establish appropriate capital
structures for each of the ongoing stand-alone businesses to
ensure financial flexibility for shareholder value creation
in the future. The proposed separations of Financial
Services and Real Estate are intended to be tax-free
distributions to shareholders. Until the separations of
Financial Services and Real Estate are completed, the
Company expects to continue to pay a quarterly dividend of
$0.28 per share. Final terms of the proposed separations and
sale have not yet been determined and will be announced at a
later date. Completion of the proposed separations is
subject to approval of the final terms by Temple-Inland's
Board of Directors; favorable rulings from the Internal
Revenue Service, and/or favorable opinions of tax counsel;
and the filing and effectiveness of registration statements
with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to
the common stock of each of the spun-off entities, and other
approvals. The transformation plan is anticipated to be
completed by calendar year-end.
“We believe that this transformation plan is the best course
of action for all our stakeholders; however, as we continue
to evaluate the plan, the Company retains the flexibility to
consider alternative strategic transactions to maximize
shareholder value. The Company has engaged Goldman, Sachs &
Co. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. as its financial
advisors and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as its
Legal Counsel.
“The employees of Temple-Inland have created a great company
and significant value for shareholders. Their continued
focus “to be the best” has driven our Company's performance
to record levels. On behalf of the Board, we sincerely thank
each of our employees for their dedication and hard work. We
also have extremely strong management for each of our
businesses. Our depth of management and our great employees
make us confident in the success of this transformation plan
and the future for each of our businesses. Finally, we value
and greatly appreciate our relationship with customers and
their long-term ongoing support. Our focus will be on
continuing to exceed their expectations. We are convinced
that this transformation plan is the best course of action
for all our stakeholders,” concluded Mr. Jastrow.
The Company will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET on
February 26, 2007 to discuss the transformation plan. The
meeting may be accessed through web cast or by conference
call. The web cast may be accessed through Temple-Inland's
Internet site at www.templeinland.com. To access the
conference call, listeners calling from North America should
dial 1-800-901-5213 at least 15 minutes prior to the start
of the meeting. Those wishing to access the call from
outside North America should dial 1-617-786- 2962. The
password is Temple-Inland. Replays of the call will be
available for two weeks following the completion of the live
call and can be accessed at 1-888-286-8010 in North America
and at 1-617-801-6888 outside North America. The password
for the replay is 89029753.
Temple-Inland Inc. operates four business segments:
corrugated packaging, forest products, real estate and
financial services. The Company's 1.8 million acres of
forestland are certified as managed in compliance with ISO
14001 and in accordance with the Sustainable Forestry
Initiative ® (SFI) Standard of the Sustainable Forestry
Board to ensure forest management is conducted in a
scientifically sound and environmentally sensitive manner.
Temple-Inland's common stock (TIN) is traded on the New York
Stock Exchange. Temple-Inland's address on the World Wide
Web is www.templeinland.com.
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Angelina County's longest-tenured
mayor says he won't run again
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Angelina County's longest-tenured mayor will not be seeking
another term this May.
Diboll Mayor James Simms, who has served in that capacity
for the past 21 years, has let it be known he will not be
seeking re-election.
"I've been blessed," Simms said Wednesday. "We've been able
to see a lot of good things happen for Diboll. We've
accomplished some neat things, and when you drive through
our pretty little town, it's nice to see how things have
turned out."
Simms said upgrades to the city's infrastructure, the city's
golf course and parks as well as other facilities such as
the Lottie & Arthur Temple Civic Center make him proud of
his hometown all over again.
"It's hard to believe when I was a kid, Diboll was a
one-horse town and I left thinking I would never be back to
stay. But I was very soon proven wrong about that, and
there's nowhere else I'd rather be now than right here,"
Simms said. "This place is home, and I'm very proud of it."
Simms, 62, became mayor of Diboll when he was 41, but prior
to that he had served as a Diboll city councilman for 12
years, handling mayor pro-tem duties during part of that
time.
"When we went through the hurricane (Rita, in 2005), it
showed me that I wasn't quite as young as before," Simms
said. "It's time for some younger blood to take it from
here."
With Simms' announcement, current Diboll city councilman
Bill Brown is the only candidate so far signed up to run for
the mayor's position. Brown has served for 12 years on the
Diboll council and has held the position of mayor pro-tem
for nine years.
Two at-large council seats are also up for election this May
in Diboll, with both incumbents and one challenger already
signed up to run. Current council members Jan Wilkerson and
Ricky Conner have said they will seek re-election, and
challenger Fred Mitchell is also signed up as a candidate.
Diboll's is the most active city council race so far in
Angelina County. Candidates have through March 12 to place
their names on the ballot for the May 12 elections.
Thus far, only a handful of other candidates have signed up
for various city positions.
In Lufkin so far, only Ward 1 council incumbent R.L.
Kuykendall and Ward 3 council incumbent Lynn Torres have
declared their candidacy.
In Hudson, incumbent councilman Mark Loose — one of three
council members whose at-large terms are expiring — is the
only candidate signed up so far in that city's election.
Other expiring council seats belong to JoAnn Novak and
Sherry Wallace.
In Huntington, incumbent Mike Ebarb — one of three council
members whose at-large terms are expiring — is the only
candidate so far signed up on that city's ballot. Other
expiring council seats are held by Willie Ricks and Doris
Pelton.
In Zavalla, no one had signed up as of Wednesday. Council
seats held by Greg Fletcher, Bill Terrell and Waunesa Melton
are expiring.
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Diboll ISD board approves reorganizing
primary, elementary administration
By DENISE HOEPFNER
The Lufkin Daily News
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
A reorganization of the elementary and primary school
administration, beginning with the 2007-08 school year, was
approved by the Diboll ISD board of trustees at its regular
meeting Tuesday.
Next year, administrative duties for the primary and
elementary schools will be overseen by one principal, said
Brent Hawkins, interim superintendent for Diboll ISD. That
principal will handle staffing, financial work and other
duties.
In addition, the district will employ two associate
principals, one at each campus.
Currently Lynn Harris serves as principal of Diboll Primary
and Lisa Jeffrey is principal of Temple Elementary.
All three positions will be filled internally, said Hawkins.
"We've got some very enthusiastic talent in the district,"
he said.
Hawkins said the change will offer more flexibility to the
district.
"There's anxiety about the change," Hawkins said. "At the
same time, I think everyone can look and see the potential
of it."
Hawkins said former superintendent Horace Williams began
looking at the reorganization back in the fall.
"It was a concept and vision (Williams) had," Hawkins said.
"He had used it previously in another district."
Hawkins said the planning process will begin this month so
the teachers will have an idea of how the system will work
by the time they leave in May.
"We have no reason to think the implementation will be
anything but quality," Hawkins said. "I have full confidence
that we can be successful. We're all about quality."
In other action the board approved to terminate its
agreement with Lufkin ISD to provide services for its
alternative education program. DISD was sending students
enrolled in the AEP to the LISD Redland campus.
Hawkins said the move would provide more consistency to the
alternative education program.
"Lufkin did a great job," he said. "It's no reflection on
their program. But when you start putting a kid on a
curriculum with a specific scope and sequence, then you
start fragmenting the service, it creates gaps."
The district will house its alternative education students
in a four-room modular building behind the junior high
school. There are currently 15 DISD students in alternative
education, Hawkins said.
Election officers for the joint school board and city
elections were approved by the board. Those officers are
Charles Poindexter, joint election judge; Shirley Harris,
joint alternative election judge; Wayne Hardy, joint early
voting clerk; Sarah Rios, deputy early voting clerk; and
Maritza Hernandez, bilingual assistant clerk.
Voting for the May 12 elections will take place at the
Angelina County subcourthouse. DISD has two three-year
trustee positions up for re-election. Those positions are
currently held by Jay Wyatt and Lynn Pavlic. The last day to
file for a spot on the school board ballot is March 12. |
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| School board, city council elections
set
From the Diboll Free Press
Long-time Diboll Mayor James Simms will not be running for
re-election in May. After 20 years serving as mayor of
Diboll. Simms has decided to retire. His retirement will
leave the mayoral position open for election in May.
Other elections in Diboll at set for May 12 and will see
positions on the Diboll City Council and Diboll Independent
School District (DISD) Board of Trustees will become vacant.
Two positions on the city council will be up for grabs.
Seats belonging to incumbents Jan Wilkerson and Ricky Conner
will be up for election by Diboll residents when citizens
hit the voting booths on May 12. At press time, Ricky Conner
and Fred Mitchell have signed up to run for the open seats.
The DISD School Board positions belonging to Lynn Pavlic and
Jay Wyatt will be up for grabs.
Early voting in Diboll will run from April 30 through May 8
with elections being held on May 12. The last date to file
to run for the council, mayoral or school board positions is
March 12.
Those interested in these positions should contact Diboll
City Hall for city positions or Sarah Rios at the DISD
Administration office to receive packets for desired
positions.
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Diboll man's snapshot takes home top
prize
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Jonathan Gerland, one of East Texas' most ardent history
buffs, has always had a special affinity for railroads.
The director of The History Center in Diboll, Gerland has
spent much of his life researching, collecting, and
recording historical data involving railroads — especially,
railroads in East Texas.
The steam locomotive of the Texas State Railroad is shown
crossing the Neches River bridge in this award-winning photo
taken in April 2006 by Jonathan Gerland. The color photo
submitted by Gerland was judged Best of Show over 80 other
entries in the recent Houston Railroad Museum photography
contest.
Still, it was a pleasant surprise to Gerland when word came
earlier this year that a color photo he had taken in 2006 of
the Texas State Railroad's steam locomotive pulling its
passenger cars across the Neches River bridge was judged to
be Best of Show in the Houston Railroad Museum's photography
contest.
The photo, taken from below the bridge looking up at the
train as it crosses the river, won out over 80 other
entries, Gerland said.
"I made the image on Saturday, April 22, 2006," he said. "It
was an absolutely beautiful spring day in the Texas
Pineywoods. The weather was perfect, the birds were singing,
and the only thing that would have made it better would have
been seeing Dick Donovan canoeing under the bridge as the
train passed."
Gerland said the Neches River valley is especially scenic in
the area of the Texas State Railroad's crossing. "It's the
same area as the designated North Neches River Wildlife
Refuge," he said.
"I took the photo from the east bank of the river on the
Cherokee County side, but the hardwoods just west of the
Neches, along Stills Creek in Anderson County, are
particularly beautiful," Gerland said.
Gerland is a contributing writer on the history of railroads
in East Texas in The Lufkin Daily News' special centennial
edition, which is included in today's issue. He is also
featured as narrator of a video clip on the history of
railroads that is available on The Lufkin Daily News Web
site at
www.lufkindailynews.com . |
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Skipping school not as cool as before
Parents ordered into the equation by local judges, law
enforcement
By JESSICA SAVAGE
The Lufkin Daily News
Sunday, February 18, 2007
"I'm telling you that if you don't have an education, you
don't have a future, and that's the cold, hard truth," said
Billy Ball, eyeing a courtroom full of parents accompanying
their truant sons and daughters on a recent Wednesday
morning.
In Lufkin, truancy court begins at 8:30 a.m. sharp.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
Diboll ISD chief of police Jake Denman and Pct. 5 Justice of
the Peace Esther Crager Barger are taking truancy cases very
seriously by cracking down on students who are skipping
school.
On a recent Wednesday, students of all races sat in the
courtroom of Judge Ball, Angelina County Pct. 1 justice of
the peace, as he listened, instructed and assigned a task to
each child and parent in open court.
Ball had ordered 21 students to appear in his court with a
parent. All were either accused of 10 or more unexcused
absences from school within six months or three in a week —
a violation of Sec. 151 of the Texas Family Code.
For most, the experience seemed humiliating and emotional.
The phrase "Be Cool. Stay in School" really meant something
that morning. But for a few students, a day in court didn't
even faze them, some refusing to even answer the judge's
questions.
Statistics show truancy court programs are an effective way
to increase school attendance rates, lower juvenile crime
and keep the youth from becoming a burden on society.
"When you get back to the basics of getting students in
school, it reduces the juvenile crime rate and that has been
proven over and over again," said Steve Spencer, director of
juvenile court services in Angelina County.
As metropolitan cities such as Houston and Dallas struggle
to enforce school attendance — with some education experts
estimating a 50-percent high school dropout rate in urban
areas — locals say Lufkin has come a long way.
The program began in the late 1990s with cooperation among
the school district, juvenile probation, detention center,
and county and district courts, said Jim Welch of Angelina
County Juvenile Probation, who also oversees Lufkin
Independent School District attendance.
Prior to the 1996-1997 school year, LISD averaged about
1,100 juvenile delinquent referrals a year and an average
annual attendance rate of 93.8 percent, Welch said.
After city and county leaders instituted stay-in-school
programs, the average number of delinquents dropped just
under 300 with attendance averaging 96 percent. And the
rates are consistent today, Welch said.
"It's been greater than I ever hoped it would be," he said.
In a world where attending college is becoming more common
and competitive, a high school diploma seems imperative — so
much so that Welch is closely studying LISD attendance rates
looking for a truancy pattern he can crack with a solution.
"I'm mapping out possibilities and looking for a change," he
said.
The district's average attendance rate for the first half
this school year was 96.01 percent — a number, Welch said,
is good, considering the district's diverse demographics.
Welch said he has worked with homeless students, some living
without running water or in such dire poverty that school
cannot be of concern.
Most of these students eventually are ordered to appear in
truancy court.
Pregnant teens and students with behavioral problems
parented by a mother working two jobs are family situations
appearing weekly in Ball's courtroom.
Truancy is often a symptom of a larger problem in a child's
life, Ball said.
It's an issue local leaders are addressing through the
courts and alternative learning environments to high school,
such as Stubblefield Learning Center.
The center, an alternative school serving five Angelina
County school districts, allows pregnant teens, working
teens or adults wanting to complete high school and receive
their diploma to take classes with a more accommodating
schedule.
The state's guidelines for funding rely heavily on district
attendance, which is why public schools are fighting to keep
attendance rates high.
"It's tremendous when you look at the money," Welch said.
"And kids that are here every day, we can make a
difference," he added.
The Diboll Independent School District is working with Judge
Esther Crager Barger, justice of the peace for Pct. 5, to
increase its attendance rate and enforce truancy.
"We are looking to hammer on truancy — buckle down, lockdown
and really enforce (it) hard," said Jake Denman, chief of
police for Diboll ISD.
Parents are also held accountable for a child missing
school, Denman reminded. They can face fines, other
court-ordered penalties and even jail time.
"It is a growing trend among parents to allow children to
skip and give notice," he said.
Denman said he has been visiting the homes of truant
children and meeting with parents, but some aren't getting
the message.
"We're getting to the point where going to doors and telling
them is not enough. The state says they've got to be here,
and so we're going to make sure they are here," he said.
DISD currently has an average attendance of about 94 or 95
percent, Denman said. His goal is 98 or 99 percent.
"We need the parents' help," he said.
Hudson Independent School District also has a truancy court,
usually on Thursday afternoons through Judge R.G. Bowers,
justice of the peace for Pct. 2.
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Ladyjacks 6th at meet
By Gary Stallard
The Lufkin Daily News
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Considering the Diboll High School girls' power lifting team
has never had a team until now, one could excuse a poor
performance or two as the girls learn the finer aspects of
the sport.
Clearly, these ladies are in a hurry to impress.
The Ladyjacks recently competed at a meet in Shepherd,
featuring a field of more than 100 competitors, and came
away with a sixth-place win among 11 entrants.
Events for each lifter consisted of a squat, a bench press
and a dead lift. Each of Diboll's athletes finished in the
Top 10 in their weight class; those students included Rosita
Silva (2nd place, 635 total pounds); Tremecia Hadnot (3rd
place, 600 total pounds); Frankie Bogany (6th place, 400
total pounds); Jasmine Lewis (4th place, 520 total pounds);
Cynthia Cavazos (6th place, 385 total pounds); Racheal
Coleman (5th place, 510 total pounds); and Jalysa Moses (6th
place, 485 total pounds).
"With this being the first year for Diboll to have a girls'
power lifting team, our kids were understandably nervous,"
coach Meredith Shaw said. "But they were anxious to compete,
and they proved they can be very competitive in this sport.
A sixth-place finish for a first-year team is a remarkable
feat.
"They did a great job, and we're very proud of them."
The Ladyjacks' next lift will be on Feb. 1 in Center.
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Diboll board OKs computer lab upgrades
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Diboll ISD board of trustees have approved $63,217 worth
of computer upgrades to the school district's computer labs.
Action came at Tuesday night's regular monthly meeting of
the DISD board.
The upgrades will mean 72 new computers will soon replace
old ones on four Diboll ISD campuses — 26 at the high
school, 24 at the junior high, 12 at the elementary and 10
at the primary school.
Diboll trustees also approved buying a pair of 72-passenger
school buses and OK'd overnight student trips for Even Start
summer math camp, for the UIL team and for FCCLA groups.
In addition, the board approved the district's 2007-08
school calendar. Classes will start Aug. 27 and break for
the Christmas holidays at the end of the school day Dec. 21.
Classes resume Jan. 7, 2008, and last day of classes is May
30, 2008.
Trustees also approved a supplemental duty agreement and job
description for Brent Hawkins, who was named at the board's
previous meeting as interim superintendent for the district
following the resignation of Horace Williams, who moves to
become the superintendent for Class 5A Cedar Hill ISD next
week.
Hawkins was already serving as the district's director for
secondary curriculum and instruction before his recent
appointment as interim superintendent.
Information items reviewed by the board included drafts of
local policies regarding naming of school district
facilities, curriculum development and use of district
vehicles. The board also was apprised of the latest mileage
rate changes by the Internal Revenue Service, now at 48 1/2
cents per mile.
Earlier in the meeting, the Diboll board was honored as part
of School Board Recognition Month. The recognition included
receiving treats and being serenaded in song by DISD
students. Diboll trustees include Trey Wilkerson, Lynn
Pavlic, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Wyatt, Sandy Hendrick, Andrea
Swor and Chuck Mann.
The Diboll board will meet again in regular session at 7
p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the DISD Administration Building
on North Temple Drive in Diboll.
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| Cause of Diboll fire still
undetermined
Over $300,000 worth of inventory destroyed when Big Tin Barn
went up in flames
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Monday, January 22, 2007
DIBOLL — Fire officials and insurance company adjustors will
be sifting through rubble later this week to try and
determine what caused a Saturday morning fire that destroyed
the Big Tin Barn, one of the oldest and well-known building
materials stores in Angelina County.
Store owner Rufus Duncan Jr., who acquired the business
about four years ago from Parker Lumber, said more than
$300,000 worth of inventory went up in flames in the fire
that was captured in dramatic fashion on a Diboll Police
Department patrol car's video.
Gary Willmon / The Lufkin Daily News
(enlarge photo)
Other than the sign, not much is left of the Big Tin Barn in
Diboll following Saturday's blaze which destroyed the
business. Store owner Rufus Duncan Jr. said over $300,000
worth of inventory was lost in the fire, which remains under
investigation to determine a cause. See Diboll PD video from
fire.
According to Diboll Police Chief Kent Havard, the initial
fire alarm came in at 7:04 a.m., and DPD officers arrived at
the North Temple Drive location within two minutes. With the
patrol vehicle's video camera rolling, tiny wisps of smoke
could be seen coming from the roof of the Big Tin Barn
building, and burning embers falling from the ceiling were
dropping into the front lobby and showroom. But within a
five-minute span as recorded by the video's digital clock —
from 7:11 to 7:16 a.m. — it went from small wisps of smoke
to a raging fire that fully engulfed the building.
"When it went up, it went up," said Havard, who said DPD Lt.
Jim Lenderman was the first officer on the scene. By the
time Diboll Volunteer Fire Department firefighters arrived,
the fire had spread through the entire building.
"The very nature of a store like the Big Tin Barn is that it
is full of combustibles," said Diboll Fire Chief Gary Jones
on Monday. "You have paint thinner, plastic pipe and other
things that will burn quickly, not to mention all the lumber
that is there."
No one was injured in the blaze which was fought by
firefighters from Diboll, with assistance from the Hudson,
Fuller Springs and Corrigan VFDs. Firefighters remained on
the scene until about 6 Saturday evening dousing hot spots.
In addition to all the building materials in the facility, a
forklift and a company truck were also destroyed in the
fire.
Duncan said he would know more in a few days as to the
possible cause of the fire. He said he couldn't speculate as
to whether he would rebuild. "We're going to conduct a
market analysis to determine if we want to go back in,"
Duncan said. "As of right now, I couldn't say."
The building itself and the property along North Temple
Drive in Diboll is owned by Temple-Inland Inc. Duncan, who
leased the facility from Temple-Inland for the Diboll store,
also owns the Big Tin Barn on West Frank Avenue in Lufkin as
well as 46 other building materials stores across Texas.
The Diboll facility was the original Big Tin Barn, built in
the mid-1960s by what was then Temple Industries as a retail
building materials outlet to sell the company's products to
the general public. Parker Lumber bought the store from
Temple-Inland less than a decade ago before Duncan acquired
it from Parker in 2003.
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Angelina Beautiful/Clean hoping more
people will notice, pay dollar donation on water bills
By HINA ALAM
The Lufkin Daily News
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Donations made to the Angelina Beautiful/Clean program have
remained the same for the about the last 15 years. The
organization would like to see them go up.
Angelina Beautiful/Clean's Web site,
angelinabeautifulclean.org, says AB/C is a non-profit
organization that for 21 years has been working on educating
and empowering East Texans to take responsibility for
enhancing their community environment.
The city of Lufkin has about 14,500 customers who are
supplied with city utilities — water, sewer or garbage
pickup. The city utilities department in November 2006
collected about $2,100 in donations to AB/C.
Drew Squyres, the city's utility collections supervisor,
said the city's donation collections have been about $2,000
over the last 15 years or so.
"They've been remarkably consistent for donations," Squyres
said.
He said he does not know why, because at one point the
suggested donation was increased from 50 cents to a dollar.
"Everybody in Lufkin pays their monthly water bill, but only
a few people in Lufkin pay the extra dollar to help beautify
the community," said Tony Moline, executive director of the
program.
Some of the projects undertaken by the AB/C program include
keeping the many medians AB/C sponsors clean and neat, and
all the plants alive, he said.
"We do the same with the entryway signs into the city, and
other various projects," he said.
The dollar donation helps AB/C maintain the projects, Moline
said
People may not know about the extra $1 donation and what it
goes towards, so they do not want to pay any extra for it
without knowing, Moline said when asked why he thought the
donations had remained flat over the years. (Moline began
working with AB/C late in 2006.)
"The other opinion I have is that some may think this should
be covered in their taxes," he said. "The $1 donation is an
important part of how our current projects are kept up. ...
It is the equivalent of one soda a month that helps the
community stay beautiful and clean.
"For every $1 donated to AB/C last year, we return $23 worth
of goods and services back into the community," Moline said.
Kelly Young, office manager for the city utilities
department, said a number of the customers are afraid that
they are going to be charged the dollar and don't want to
pay it.
Of the city's nearly 14,500 customers, about 12,000 pay
their bills by mail, about 880 through direct deposit, about
135 online and the others by walk-ins or credit card.
People who pay their bills online or through direct deposit
cannot pay the dollar donation because of a software
restriction. It would take about $20,000 to get the software
changed, so as to enable people who pay their bill online to
tack on the dollar donation, said Paul Parker, city manager.
However, if someone wanted to make a donation, in any
amount, they are welcome to do so, Squyres said.
Donations to AB/C may be made by calling the city utility
services department at (936) 633-0291 or Tony Moline at
(936) 631-3829. You can also click on the "Contact Us" link
at www.angelinabeautiful.org. |
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Ladyjacks hammer Carthage
The Lufkin Daily News
Friday, January 05, 2007
Nikki Green scored 12 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and
blocked four shots as the Diboll Ladyjacks routed Carthage
60-15 in a key district matchup Friday night.
Cammi Evans scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds for
Diboll, and Denisha Holman had 7 points and 5 assists. Other
scorers for Diboll were Monique Deason (7), J.K. Jackson,
Jafrina Jackson and Vanessa Jones (6 each), Pashun Tappin
(4) and Amber Baldwin (1).
Diboll (18-4, 5-0) hosts Hudson on Tuesday night.
Diboll's JV dropped a 48-32 decision to Carthage. December
Simmons scored 11 points for Diboll.
Diboll's freshmen took a 41-15 win over Carthage. Meredith
Ruby led Diboll with 11 points.
- Broaddus boys 63, Burkeville 19 — Broaddus picked up an
easy 63-19 win over Burkeville on Friday night.
Scorers for Broaddus were Chaz Heil (12), Josh Byley (11),
Jason Scott (10), Clayton Williams and Colten Williams (9
each), Royace Westbrook (7), Jarell Westbrook (3) and
Kenneth Wilson (2).
Broaddus (15-6, 3-0 in district) plays at Zavalla Tuesday.
- Apple Springs girls 46, Goodrich 32 — Azja Bryant scored
24 points to lead Apple Springs to a 46-32 win over Goodrich
on Friday night.
Other scorers for Apple Springs were Tiffany White (14),
Uniqua White (6) and Claire Poirier (2).
Apple Springs led 17-10 after a quarter, 25-16 at halftime
and 37-24 after three quarters.
Apple Springs (14-6, 1-1) plays at Brookeland on Tuesday.
- Leggett girls 44, Centerville 39 — Brittany Jefferson
scored 25 points to lead Leggett to a 44-39 win over
Centerville on Friday night.
Other scorers for Leggett were Brianna Barlow (13), Pam
Sanders (4) and Ariana Diosdado (2).
Scorers for Centerville were Jessica Brister and Ashley
Rogers (11 each), Shelby Childress (9) and Ashley Wheeler
(8).
Centerville led 12-6 after a quarter, 23-15 at half and
35-31 after three quarters before Leggett used a late run to
get the win.
Centerville (1-1 in district) faces Goodrich on Tuesday.
Leggett moves to 2-0 in district play.
On Tuesday night, Leggett took a 65-59 win over Apple
Springs. Scorers for Leggett were Jefferson (35), Barlow
(20), Sanders (6) and Perla Garcia and Jessica Marshall (2
each).
- Wells girls 50, Trinidad 48 — Tara Greenville hit a
three-pointer at the buzzer as the Wells Lady Pirates took a
thrilling 50-48 win over Trinidad on Friday night.
Scorers for Wells were Megan Totin (22), Tara Greenville
(13), Cassidy Glover (8), Whitney Henry (4) and Megan
Bobbitt (3).
Wells (1-0 in district) hosts Neches Tuesday.
- Brookeland boys 76, Sabine Pass 45 — Tommy Smith scored 21
points to lead Brookeland to a 76-45 win over Sabine Pass on
Friday night.
Other scorers for Brookeland were Zack Garrett (14), Ken
Garrett (10), Casey Lopez (8), Mike Thomas (8), Clint
Mullens (7), Johnathan Donahoe (5), Devon Newman (2) and
Justin Bently (1).
Brookeland led 25-9 after a quarter, 47-20 at halftime and
62-33 after three quarters.
Brookeland (11-8) plays at Leggett Friday.
- Kennard girls 67, Neches 29 — Tiffany Adair scored 27
points to lead Kennard to a 67-29 win over Neches on Friday
night.
Other scorers for Kennard were Felicia Skinner (13), Erica
Adair (10), Jasmine Mitchell (9), Brittany Nagy (4) and
Statia Pope and Ariel Mumphrey (2 each).
Kennard led 18-6 after a quarter, 34-13 at halftime and
52-22 after three quarters.
Kennard (15-8, 1-0) plays at Oakwood Tuesday.
- Alto boys 78, Kennard 63 — Tyson Mitchell 29 points to
lead Alto to a 78-63 win over Kennard on Friday night.
Other scorers for Alto were Brandon Wade (10), Tarcelus
Mitchell (9), Tarlandus Mitchell, Julian Willis and Mark
Green (6 each), Brandon Thacker and Demarcus Griffin (4
each) and Jacob Wade (2).
Alto (4-2) plays Cayuga today at Lon Morris College in
Jacksonville.
- Central JV boys 56, Hudson 46 — Colten Standifird had 19
points and Tyrell O'Quinn scored 18 to lead Central's JV to
a 56-46 win over Hudson on Friday night. Other scorers for
Central were Kendall Smith (7), Dakota Hollis (4) and Matt
Adams (2).
Hudson's JV took a 32-26 win over Central. Scorers for
Central were Justin Williams and Radley Horn (8 each), Nolan
Arnold and Chase Hollis (5 each) and Krys Jackson (1).
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Minister leads Diboll's fight against
liquor
By ASHLEY COOK
The Lufkin Daily News
Friday, January 05, 2007
Diboll has joined three other Angelina County cities in
calling for a vote to keep alcohol sales outside their city
limits.
Bill Shanklin, Angelina County tax assessor/collector,
confirmed Friday a Diboll group has passed its preliminary
petition requirement, joining Hudson, Huntington and Zavalla
in the fight against beer and wine sales.
The county went wet in November for the first time in 70
years after voters passed propositions allowing
over-the-counter sales and restaurant sales without club
memberships.
Rev. Gary Fannon, of First Baptist Church in Diboll, is
leading the fight to keep beer and wine sales out of the
city.
"My basic concern is because of the morality issue. I
believe God blesses his people whenever we stay pure. ... My
battle is not so much with those who on occasion may consume
an alcoholic beverage. My battle is with all of the
additional things that are brought in with the sale of
alcohol, like the advertisements," Fannon said.
Kenneth Williams, Diboll city manager, said Thursday the
city was neutral on whether alcohol should be sold in the
city, but acknowledged the city would be receiving
additional tax revenue should sales begin.
"We're not advocating one way or the other," he said.
The city council passed a buffer zone ordinance at a Dec. 11
meeting, requiring a 300-foot space between businesses
selling wine or beer and schools or churches.
"So we have taken some measures to insure the safety with
the general public," Williams said.
Fannon said he worries about risqué images, such as
scantily-clad women, being used in advertisements in
family-oriented environments.
"I just don't want my son and daughter, who are 5 and 8, to
walk into the local grocery store where it's always been a
family atmosphere and be exposed to that. It's
inappropriate," he said. "You're sending a message to them,
and I want them to be raised as I was, that alcohol and all
the vices that come with it can destroy your family."
Diboll should be able to make its own decision, apart from
the county, on whether or not alcohol is sold in stores and
restaurants, he said.
"I want it to be our own decision, clear and simple," he
said. "I really believe that a majority of the people in
Diboll would just as soon keep it dry."
Diboll has two voting boxes. Propositions 1 and 2 both
passed in Box 16, 261-176 and 284-150, Shanklin said. The
results were mixed and tighter in Box 16B, Proposition 1
losing 183-177 and Proposition 2 winning 193-165.
Fannon applied for the petition at Shanklin's office
Thursday. The group has 60 days to gather 294 signatures —
35 percent of voters in the November gubernatorial election,
Shanklin said.
Fannon said petitions will be available for signatures
beginning today at selected Diboll businesses. For
information, call Diboll First Baptist, 208 Devereaux St.,
at 829-5299 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. |
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Remembering a dedicated teacher
New Diboll ISD facility will be named in honor of Ramsey
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Saturday, December 16, 2006
A lifelong educator who spent 29 years with Diboll ISD, the
late Robert T. Ramsey Sr. will be memorialized Sunday as a
new classroom/lab building on the Diboll Junior High campus
will be dedicated and named in his honor.
The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. today in the Diboll Junior
High library and then moves to the new Robert T. Ramsey Sr.
Education Building for a reception, tours and refreshments.
"Construction began in April and they moved
pretty fast on it," said Diboll Junior High Principal Mark
Kettering of the new building which includes four
classrooms, a science lab and a content mastery computer
lab.
Ramsey spent 37 years in education, the last 29 of which
were at Diboll. He was the longest-tenured principal of
Diboll High School, serving in that capacity for 27 years,
from 1947 to 1974. He retired from DISD in 1976 but remained
active in the community until his death in 2005.
Ramsey was also a coach and was responsible for bringing
11-man football to Diboll, which prior to 1948 had played
only six-man football. He was also responsible for heading
the project to build the Lumberjacks' original football
stadium. Prior to that, the Jacks played their games at
Miller Park, which was actually a baseball park and had no
lights for night games.
Ramsey was named by the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce
as the Angelina Award recipient in 1982, an award for a
lifetime of public service that was bestowed to him by
former U.S. President Gerald Ford, who had been invited to
Lufkin to be guest speaker at the Chamber's awards banquet.
A crowd of 1,500 overflowed the Lufkin Civic Center to
witness the event.
Ramsey was inducted into the Diboll Lumberjack Hall of Fame
in 1996, the first year for the new DHS football stadium
which replaced the one Ramsey helped build in 1948. A 2004
exhibit at The History Center in Diboll showed highlights of
Ramsey's life as an educator.
"I was honored to have had Mr. Ramsey as my principal," said
Patsy Colbert of The History Center. "His smile was
contagious, and he was a great role model for me."
Ramsey and his late wife, Rita, had three children — Dr.
Robert Ramsey Jr., head of the Department of Communications
at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches; Nita
Hurley, a counselor at Diboll Primary School; and Deanna
McMillan, who taught in public schools for 15 years.
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Diboll approves red-light cameras at
major intersections
By GARY WILLMON
The Lufkin Daily News
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Diboll is going high-tech with the city council's approval
of red-light cameras at the city's three major intersections
as traffic passes through town on U.S. 59.
Action came at Monday's regular monthly meeting of the
Diboll council as members approved contracting with Nestor
Traffic System to install the red-light cameras at the U.S.
59 intersections of Lumberjack Drive/Harris Street,
Hines/Judd streets, and Thompson/Dennis streets.
"The cameras will be trained on the north-south traffic on
U.S. 59, and the council set fines of $100 per ticket," said
Diboll City Manager Kenneth Williams. "Of that, $30 will
cover Nestor's expense, and the city will realize $70 from
each ticket."
Diboll council members also approved the 300-foot ordinance
limiting the sale of beer and wine in neighborhoods where a
church or a school is located.
"Council members also passed a permit fee of $30, an
application fee of $200 and a renewal fee of $100 related to
the liquor sales," Williams said.
The council had an agenda item to consider a variance
requested by Brookshire Brothers for that grocery chain's
Diboll store, which sits basically next door to the Diboll
ISD administration offices in downtown Diboll. However,
Brookshire Brothers pulled its request before the meeting.
"They withdrew for now," Williams said, indicating the store
may decide to petition the council for the variance again
sometime in the future. "When that time comes, they'll ask
that it be placed back on the agenda."
Council members also approved holding joint elections in May
with the city of Diboll. Early voting will take place at the
Diboll subcourthouse, and on the day of the May 12 election,
polling will be held in the Diboll Primary School cafeteria.
Williams also noted that the city had earned two favorable
commendations from governmental entities.
"We were notified that the city's new hike-and-bike trail
has been certified by the U.S. Department of Justice as
meeting all Americans With Disabilities Act requirements,
and also our water system has been certified by the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality."
The Diboll city council will meet again at 5:15 p.m. on
Monday, Jan. 8, at Diboll City Hall. The meeting is open to
the public. |
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