Tim Buchanan Face of the Bearcats, 8A
July 23-29, 2010 · www.community-news.com
THE COMMUNITY NEWS Serving Eastern Parker County, Texas: Aledo · the Annettas · Hudson Oaks · Willow Park
ANNETTA
Waterway
Ranch clears
first hurdle
By Lana Kennedy
The Community News
After numerous late night meet-
ings and many heated discussions,
the Town of Annetta City Council
approved a preliminary plat for the
Waterway Ranch Development at
a regularly scheduled meeting on
Thursday, July 15.
The development is located on
Duncan Road, just off of Airport
Road in Annetta’s Extraterritorial
Jurisdiction. And because of devel-
oper Sid Whitener’s interpretation
of the law, the development, which
should still be in the planning stage,
is already laid out with roads and a
gated entrance.
The 40 acre tract of land was
previously farmland owned by long-
time Annetta resident Lilly Waters.
She sold the property to Stonegate
Partners and the platting process
began with the county in 2008.
The plat consisted of 40 lots on
40 acres and was approved by the
Commissioner’s Court.
Annetta city officials claim they
first learned of the development when
Jeane Brunson notified the city after
refusing to file the plat because it was
not signed off by the city. Brunson
confirmed that this plat did not meet
the county requirement of having
city approval if within the city’s ETJ.
Brunson clarified that even before the
Interlocal Agreement, a plat would
not be filed until both entities (city
and county) had approved it.
“I am very con-
cerned about 40
homes running off
the same aquifer.”
- Resident Nancy Johnson
Since the time Annetta learned
of the development, Annetta Council
and Stonegate Partners have been
on a rollercoaster ride full of accusa-
tions, threatened litigations, and a
lot of angry citizens.
Citizens living along Duncan Rd.
voiced their concerns about water
availability, sewage and the roads.
“In the summer of 2007, we were
pumping sand from our well,” said
Nancy Johnson of 400 Duncan Rd. “I
am very concerned about 40 homes
running off the same aquifer.”
Dick Sisson, who owns 70 acres
with many horses and longhorns,
also has concerns about the develop-
ment.
“Runoff from homes to the creek
that runs around the subdivision
would be unbelievable. My animals
drink from that creek,” said Sisson.
The new preliminary plat sub-
mitted to Annetta Council at the
July meeting consists of 34 lots on
40 acres. The source of water for the
homes is not clearly identified, which
is not unusual for a preliminary plat.
Plans for water and sewage will be
laid out when a final plat is submit-
ted to council.
“At this point, the preliminary
plat meets the city’s requirements,
all but the two-acre minimum,” said
City Attorney, George Staples. “If the
final plat does not provide adequate
water and sewer information, it can
still be rejected.”
Turn to ANNETTA, page 3A
Volume 21, Number 30
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ALEDO ISD
GOING SOLAR?
Jerry Vaughan, president of New Energy Wind & Solar, explains the benefits of solar energy to members of
the Aledo ISD school board Monday night, July 19. The AISD administration is considering the proposal.
◗ School district examining solar
proposal to save on energy costs
By Randy Keck
The Community News
Aledo ISD Executive Director for Administration
Dan Manning reported to school board members
that he is in negotiation with New Energy on a pro-
posal to provide solar power to the school district.
Jerry Vaughan, president of New Energy Wind
& Solar, presented an outline to the board at their
regular meeting Monday, July 19. Vaughan said his
company would provide all equipment, mainte-
nance, monitoring and insurance on the system.
Manning told the board that under the pro-
posal, the school district could reduce its electricity
costs by as much as 20 under the proposed agree-
ment.
Manning told The Community News that the
proposal is still in the negotiation stage.
“We’re being cautious to make sure everything
is checked off to make sure this is a good thing
for the district,” Manning said. He added that an
engineer would need to determine the best loca-
tion for solar panels and “assess what areas of our
property is best to get sun rays and not be blocked
by trees.”
The Aledo ISD spends as much as $115,000
per month on electricity. A 20 percent reduction
could save the district more than $250,000 on
electricity.
“We’re turning over every rock we can to cut
costs,” Manning said. With a school district budget
in the neighborhood of $3 million per month, “if
you can reduce that in any way it helps the district,”
he said.
Vaughan told The Community News that his
company would provide all the equipment to the
district at no charge. He said his company recoups
its investment by becoming the de facto energy
WILLOW PARK
City renovating Stagecoach Trail, Ranch House
◗ Trash fees won’t rise after all
Dominic Genetti
The Community News
Traffic is going to be a hassle and drivers will
be inconvenienced, but when all is said and done
two main roads in Willow Park will be wider and
better.
At the regular meeting of the Willow Park City
Council Monday, July 19, council members voted
to begin construction on Stagecoach Trail and
Commentary Life&Community
For the love of it oil Original Musical
Publisher Randy Keck offers a plan to get 13 Aledo area students perform in
us off of foreign oil new “Kids who Care” production
SLINGS&ARROWS | PAGE 6A PAGE 10B
RANDY KECK/THE COMMUNITY NEWS
provider to the district through the equipment it
provides.
“When we provide, you don’t have to pay Oncor,”
he said. He noted also that his company would
receive a government tax credit of 30 percent on
the equipment.
“We can do this and make a little profit,” he
said, “and it helps you guys. Everybody comes out
ahead.”
Vaughan said the district’s savings on energy
costs would be about 20 percent for five years, and
then the district’s savings would increase to about
30 percent the next five years.
The board took no action because a quorum of
members was not present.
Ninth Grade Center
finishing touches
Representatives of Buford Thompson
Construction Company told the board members
present that the new ninth grade center received
its Certificate of Occupancy that day (July 19) and
that they were working on the remainder of war-
ranty items and putting down the last of the grass
around the building.
AISD Superintendent Don Daniel announced
that there would be an open house and dedication
ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 3 p.m.
Daniel also reported that due to the recent Texas
Attorney General’s ruling regarding Teacher sala-
ries would cost the district an additional $153,467
in salary funding. However, he said a salary struc-
ture with STEP raises and elimination of teacher
pay cuts had already been approved pending voter
approval of the Tax Ratification Election in August.
If the TRE does not pass, the additional salaries
would be paid out of emergency funds, he said.
Board members present at the July meeting
were Bobby Rigues, Johnny Campbell and Jay
Stringer.
the northern and southern areas of Ranch House
Road.
Construction will cause Stagecoach Trail to
become a one-way street for southbound motor-
ists who in turn, if they patronize business on the
I-20 service road, will be forced to drive around
the interstate to re-enter the city. Council members
also tried to initiate construction for streets Willow
Crossings East and Pitchfork Trail, but a lack of
funds halted city leaders.
Turn to STREETS, page 3A
WILLOW PARK
Mayor explains
‘United Cities’
proposal at
public forum
◗ Warns of ‘tsunami’
By Dominic Genetti
The Community News
In anticipation of many guests
Willow Park Mayor Ken Hawkins
moved his mayor’s open forum
from Willow Park City Hall to the
First Baptist Church of Willow Park
Tuesday night, July 20. The church
can hold an estimated 400 people.
However, less than 70 citizens
showed up for the mayor’s open
forum, which was based on hear-
ing feedback on his “United Cities”
proposal.
Last week, Hawkins debuted his
plan in full when it was published in
The Community News.
Hawkins’ proposal calls for the
six cities of East Parker County to
bond together and form one big city
under the Aledo name. The reason?
Traffic and crime, he said, are on the
rise, and if Willow Park, Hudson
Oaks, Annetta North, Annetta,
Annetta South and the current city
of Aledo don’t come together as one,
the small-town and quiet way of life
that the six communities hold dear
will be threatened.
“There is a tsunami com-
ing toward East Parker County,”
Hawkins said after his proposal was
published. “If we don’t get ahead of
the curve and we don’t anticipate
this growth pattern, we’ll just be
overrun.”
But the combination of the six
cities raises several issues. Some
of the cities have taxes and some
don’t. Some have police departments
and some don’t. To address these
and other questions citizens had,
Hawkins formed a mayor’s open
forum where citizens could speak to
the mayor directly.
“Ego is the first thing that can
get in our way,” Hawkins said as he
opened the forum and addressed
possible cons toward his plan.
“People are afraid of change. (We)
shouldn’t do this based on ego.”
Before the plan made its way to
the media, Hawkins distributed his
plan to the mayors of the six com-
munities. While Aledo Mayor Kit
Marshall acknowledged Hawkins’
efforts, she made it clear that this
was Hawkins’ plan and Hawkins’
plan alone.
Annetta South Mayor Gerhard
Kleinschmidt, however, doesn’t care
for Hawkins’ proposal. He sees it as
an advantage for the Willow Park
mayor to expand his city.
“The way that the merger of cities
works, is that the largest city con-
sumes the small one,” Kleinschmidt
said. “There’s no joinder, there’s no
‘we’re going to take three council-
men from here and two from here
and put them together over there’,
state law doesn’t provide for that.
“What state law provides for is
that if a city asks to be merged into
a larger city, and if that works and if
the voters approve it for both cities,
then the smaller city ceases to exist.
It’s that simple.”
At his mayor’s forum, Hawkins
said Willow Park “is going to be the
engine of East Parker County.”
“Willow Park is the future,” he
said.
Turn to UNITED, page 3A
Life&Community
Andrew Jones is in
touch with food
Cook of the Week returns
COOK OF THE WEEK | PAGE 1B