Wood County Commissioners Court
Court hears second concern re: planned Fellowship Church camp
By JOHN SPARKS

 

Meeting Friday, October 19 in regular session, Wood County Commissioners heard from protesting property owners in the former Lake ‘O The Woods subdivision at the western end of Lake Hawkins. Commissioners also approved the appointment of a new 4-H agent and accepted a previously private road in the Samuel Whatley Estates subdivision into the county’s road inventory.

Ricky Rutherford served as spokesman for a group of lot owners who own property in Lake ‘O The Woods subdivision at the western end of Lake Hawkins in Precinct 3. Rutherford said the lot owners in the failed subdivision are concerned that plans for the property by Fellowship Church, the new owner, would shut off access to and from their lots and to and from the watershed and Lake Hawkins as called for in the original plat plan. The 1,000 acre subdivision—encompassing several thousand residential lots—was never developed as originally planned in 1974. Recently, the land was given to Fellowship Church-Grapevine for development of a Camp and retreat center. The church has announced plans to invest $25-million in the facility.
 

The court approved Fellowship Church’s application to revise the plat following a public hearing.
 

A second controversy involves the Lake Hawkins Homeowners Association which is questioning the Fellowship Church plans for a sewage treatment system that would be permitted to put 40,000 gallons of waste water directly into Lake Hawkins. The association is seeking a public meeting with the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality on the issue.
 

Tracie Jackson, a teacher in the Quitman School system, was approved as the new 4-H extension agent for Wood County. Mrs. Jackson has been involved in 4-H programs in the county for several years with her three children and husband, former 4-H Extension Agent Jerry Jackson. She will begin service December 15.
 

A previously private road was approved for inclusion in the county’s road system. PR-7271, serving the Samuel Whatley Estates subdivision, was built to county standards by the developer. It was accepted into the county inventory as CR-3721 in a motion by Roger Pace, Commissioner, Precinct-3.
 

In other action, the Commissioners approved:
- Payment of claims in the amount of $132,646.53.
- Payroll in the amount of $254,245.40.
- Employee/dependent health claims of $85,344.10.
- Compensation structure for sheriff’s department.
- Interlocal agreement with Union Hill ISD for voting equipment to be used at a voting poll in Winnsboro.
- Setting November 16 as public hearing date for consideration of a proposal to close CR-3569.
- Reappointment of Mary Lookadoo to the Andrews Center Board of Directors.
- Proclamation declaring November as Home Care and Hospice Month.
- Copier contracts with Xerox providing new equipment and a lease reduction of $10 per month.
- Reserve Deputy service record for quarter ending September 30, 2007.
- A donation of $1,800 to the K-9 fund for the Sheriff’s Department by lake Holbrook Homeowners Association.
- Contract adjustment agreement for 2005 Homeland Security Act grant whereby county receives unused funds by other entities within the county.
- Contract with TxDOT for maintenance at the Wood County Airport.
 

The next regular meeting of the Wood County Commissioners Court will be Friday, November 5 at 10 a.m. A special meeting of the court can be called with 72-hour public notice.