AMA stands for “Ask Michael Anything,” and is a chance for readers to ask reporter Michael V. Hannigan questions about Henderson County. Ask questions through our Facebook Page or our website.
QUESTION: Reader Darlene Magee Gunter asked how close organizers are to raising enough money for the Kiwanis Park Splash Pad in Athens … and it turns out her question was well timed and very important.
SOURCE: Kim Hodges, who is an Athens Chamber of Commerce board member and the go-to person when it comes to splash pad funding.
ANSWER: The short answer is that organizers have raised about $148,000 of the complete project’s estimated cost of $217,000.
But the real story is the project must hit $167,000 by Friday, March 15, for there to be a splash pad for kids to play in this summer.
Splash pads have become a very popular item and the contractor picked out for the Athens project has a waiting list of clients. The firm is holding a spot for Athens, but can’t hold it past March 15.
And it will take $167,000 to break ground. Another $20,000 needs to be raised to get started.
Hodges said that’s how much it will cost to build the actual splash pad. The rest of the project money is for fencing, parking, sidewalks and complying with the all-important Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) rules so that children in wheelchairs can enjoy the water.
“It will be disheartening to come this far and not be able to have it for this summer,” Hodges said.
The neat thing about the fundraising so far is that so many have become involved. Members of the Athens Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club, the Athens Leadership Institute (ALI, which is a chamber program), and the city are working together, and as of this morning, 168 business, organizations and individuals have contributed to the project.
Hodges said donations have been as small as $25 and as large as $25,000.
“Our goal is for this to be a community-wide project, and that’s what it has been,” she said.
Actually, the donations have been a small as what the tooth fairy left under one little girl’s pillow.
If you want to help make the splash pad a reality this summer, please call Kim Hodges at First State Bank, 903-676-1923.
If you want some more information about the project, here is the story I wrote when the project was first announced.
AMA stands for “Ask Michael Anything,” and is a chance for readers to ask reporter Michael V. Hannigan questions about Henderson County. Ask questions through our Facebook Page or our website.
QUESTION: Reader Mark Mills asked if the state is ever going to finish Loop 7 around Athens, making it four lanes all the way around.
SOURCES: Texas Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Larry Krantz.
ANSWER: Possibly, but not anytime soon.
Krantz said that there is room for Loop 7 to be expanded, and added that the state even has the right-of-way needed. But there are no projects presently planned for the loop.
The problem is money … there’s just not enough for the state’s transportation needs. State Sen. Robert Nichols, who represents Henderson County, is the chairman of the Transportation Committee this session. In published reports, he said:
“(The) Current (funding) system can no longer maintain the system. At a time when we need new capacity, our urban areas are choking down, we have no traditional funds for new capacity and at the same time, we don’t have the traditional funds to maintain our system. For the past ten or twelve years we’ve been riding on a bubble of debt… and now it’s time to pay the piper. “
So until the state can figure out how to fix the infrastructure that’s falling apart, roads that are doing OK — like Loop 7 — will be waaaay on the back burner.
AMA stands for “Ask Michael Anything,” and is our readers’ chance to ask reporter Michael V. Hannigan questions about Henderson County.
QUESTION: Christi Weinstein asked me to explain the GoBus that she sees around town.
SOURCES: The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) and my own reporting on public transportation issues over the past five years.
ANSWER: The GoBus is ETCOG’s on demand public transportation system. … I am also going to talk about the Chariot Bus Line, because it is closely related.
“ETCOG’S GOBUS rural transportation system operates a safe, dependable, and effective transportation network that provides mobility, improves the quality of life, and stimulates economic development through the provision of rural public transportation services,” according to the website.
To catch a ride on the GoBus, you must call 24 hours in advance and schedule a pickup, and you must call before 2 p.m. for next day service. Call toll free 1-800 590-3371.
Monday through Friday, the GoBus runs within the county from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. A one-way ticket costs $2.
On Tuesdays, the GoBus runs from cities within Henderson County to Tyler. Arrival in Tyler is about 10 a.m. and departure is about 2 p.m. Cost is $5. Once again, 24-hour advance notice is required.
The GoBus is a very useful form of public transportation, but it is limited in what it can do. It only goes out of the county once a week and you must call ahead to reserve a spot.
In September 2012, the Chariot Bus Line was formed to try and bridge the gap between what the GoBus can do, and what some Athens residents need. At first, the bus made trips between Athens and Tyler twice a day, Monday through Friday.
Chariot is actually a labor of love and a ministry outreach from Gates Community Church in Athens. You can read the original story I wrote back when the bus service opened here, if you are interested.
If you are interested in their routes and low-price tickets, check out their website here. http://www.thechariotbuslines.com/
AMA stands for “Ask Michael Anything,” and is our readers’ chance to ask reporter Michael V. Hannigan questions about Henderson County.
QUESTION: Reader Jessica Crye asked if Athens is getting a Cotton Patch restaurant, like she’s heard. She messaged me the question through our Facebook page.
SOURCES: Athens City Secretary Pam Watson and Athens Director of Planning & Development Gary Crecelius.
ANSWER: Maybe.
I visited Watson this morning and we talked about Cotton Patch, and while we talked she called Crecelius to double check the information.
Although nothing has been decided at this point, the folks at Cotton Patch are talking with the city about locations. One possible landing spot is near the new Pizza Hut on State Highway 31.
These things are a process and you never know what could happen … but as of this morning, it is the opinion of city officials that Cotton Patch is actively exploring the option of coming to Athens.
(AMA stands for “Ask Michael Anything,” and is our readers’ chance to ask reporter Michael V. Hannigan questions about Henderson County.)
QUESTION: Through our Facebook page, Scott Brooks of Athens asked what the Athens Economic Development Corporation was doing to bring jobs to the city, as opposed to all the restaurants currently going up around town.
ANSWER: Malone was quick to agree regarding the AEDC’s true goal.
“We definitely agree that having good jobs for people to be employed at is our main purpose,” he said.
If those retail/restaurant businesses approach the EDC, the board is going to listen and try and help, said Malone, but he added, “The retail development is a secondary function. Our main purpose still will be job creation and marketing existing industry.”
Generating jobs is one of those things “easier said than done” however, and Athens is in competition with thousands of communities around the country for those jobs.
To try and get an edge, the AEDC went through a strategic planning process with TIP Strategies of Austin last year. Several times during our discussion, Malone referenced things “the community told us,” or strengths and weaknesses learned during the study.
To encourage that, the AEDC joined with the Trinity Valley Community College Small Business Development Center to offer a six-week course on going into business. The project started this month and at the end of the course, one business is going to earn a $30,000 grant. A business plan is a written description of the future of your business and more importantly, how you are going to get there. It is a document that explains what you are going to do to make your company profitable and how you are going to achieve this. It defines both your business model and your strategies to make this business model work and more importantly profitable. Normally when a business idea arises, you know what resources and capabilities you have at the start of your business and where you want to go in a certain period, usually in 3 or 5 years. But what is the way to reach that goal? Where to start? How to arouse investor interest? Even, how to get your business off the ground? Everything seems so easy when you have the great money winning idea and concept. It is how you are going to achieve these dreams and get enough money to keep the business going for many years to come. You can check here for more about the Business Corporate Planning.
Malone said there are three main ways to build economic growth: entrepreneurship, working with existing industry, and recruiting new industry.
1. Entrepreneurship: Malone said one of the things to come out of the focus groups that were part of last year’s study was the need to help local people start new businesses.
2. Existing Industry: “We have many wonderful companies already here, when you get right down to it,” Malone said. “We work with those guys to identify opportunities to help them expand.”
That could include new equipment or buildings, or expansion programs.
As an example, Malone pointed to programs with Schneider Electric, where the EDC board agreed to help the company based on jobs created, or OTE International, where the board provided a low interest loan and employment incentives.
In the past, the board has helped Argon with its roof.
“That helps keep that business here,” Malone said.
“Investing in those businesses is something that we’ll look at,” he added.
3. Recruiting: “Everybody loves recruiting, but it is also one of the hardest things to do,” Malone said.
Athens is not only going against other communities in the region or state, but the entire country.
“It is a very competitive situation,” Malone said.
Malone has been to California three times in the past year trying to lure business to the city, twice as part of a delegation from the Northeast Texas Economic Alliance.
“You have to be active in terms of trying to create a pipeline of projects, and that’s really what we are trying to do,” he said.
One real drawback for Athens, which was pointed out in the study, is a lack of developed sites.
“What I mean is, if you go to Sulphur Springs they’ve got four or five industrial parks, 300-400 acres. If you go to Kilgore, they have 500 acres. If you go to Commerce, they have about 115,” Malone said. “Athens has nine acres. That is a competitive disadvantage that we have.”
That doesn’t mean Athens can’t succeed. Extreme Engineering is a company relocating to Athens, and the sports recreation equipment manufacturer expects to bring 33 jobs to the city.
“We are going to look at trying to capitalize on our strengths. We are going to really look at different ways we can visit at medical device companies because we have a good niche there, and see how we can expand that,” Malone said. “Right now there’s good traction for us to do that and that’s something we are going to continue to work on.”
While the interview was with AEDC President Brian Malone, he is certainly not the only one involved in making decisions. The board includes: Chairman Robert Gould, David Holdredge, Kelly Smith, Tere Lawyer, Jess Laird, Maurice Cox, and Joe Masso. (Athens Mayor Jerry Don Vaught and City Administrator Pam Burton are ex-officio members of the board.)
AMA stands for “Ask Michael Anything,” and is a chance for readers to ask reporter Michael V. Hannigan questions about Henderson County. Ask questions through our Facebook Page or our website.
