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Thursday, January 29, 2015
Porcupines split 8-4A hoops games
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Volume 51, Number 41
$1 Springtown, Texas 76082
Road repairs OK’d by county for 2015 PC Commissioners Court approves fixing Knob, Veal Station among others BY NATALIE GENTRY Approval of allocation of state grant funds to each precinct for repair and construction of roads was the main focus of the Parker County Commissioners Court at the regularly sched-
uled meeting Jan. 21. Precinct 1 projects include repairs on Knob Road from the Springtown city limits to Thomas Road and on Veal Station Road from FM 51 to Old Springtown Road.
Precinct 2 received funds to begin repairs on Upper Denton Road from the Weatherford city limits to First Street. If grant funding is available additional construction will be done on Upper Denton Road from First Street
ESD 1 working on PPC ratings
to Mesquite Drive in Weatherford. Funds were also allotted for repairs to White Settlement Road from FM 3325 to Mesa Grande Drive in Precinct 4. Additional construction will be
done on White Settlement Road from Mesa Grande Drive to Topaz Trail if funding is available. All in all $1,422,491 in grant money from the state was allotted to the projects by a 5-0 vote.
Grass Fire Snuffed
March decision could lower insurance rates BY NATALIE GENTRY Could lower insurance rates be coming? Parker County Emergency Services District (ESD) 1 officials met with the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to Units from the Springtown Volunteer Fire Department subdued a two-acre grass fire Jan. 25 on FM 51 just south of Thomas Road. provide data supporting updated Pub- Photo by Natalie Gentry lic Protection Class Ratings (PPC) for the area. What is a PPC rating? According to ISO’s website, to help establish appropriate fire insurance premiums for residential and commercial properties, insurance companies need reliable, up-to-date information about a community’s fire-protection services. ISO provides that information through the PPC program. ISO collects information on municipal fire-protection efforts in communities throughout the United States. In each of those communities, ISO looks at the relevant data using its Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) and then assigns a Public Protection Classification from 1 to 10 with 1 being the best. Most areas within ESD 1 are rated a 7 or 8 – except the city of Springtown which has a rating of 3. How is ESD 1 working to raise the rating? Areas scrutinized by ISO included the city’s water system and water storage capabilities; firefighter training and staffing; dispatch capabilities for both police and fire; number, location and maintenance of fire hydrants; and fire prevention initiatives, to name a few. ESD 1 hired MP Consulting to assist with the ISO project in the fall of 2013 and has since implemented several initiatives to achieve improved ratings. These initiatives include increased staffing of full-time and part-time firefighters, the purchase of four new fire engines with compressed air foam systems, acquisition of one additional tanker truck, and enhanced volunteer training credits. Given that the size of ESD 1 is more than 265 square miles and covers multiple communities, data assembled for the PPC ratings was divided into 11 different publications to maximize the credit for each incorporated city and the various unincorporated areas. Significant improvements of the PPC rating are expected in the cities of Aledo and Annetta, where fire hydrants and municipal water supplies are available. The city of Annetta South, part of Annetta North, and a vast unincorporated area around the Springtown, Aledo, Peaster, Silver Creek, and La Junta communities should also see improved ratings based on a “hauled waPLEASE SEE NEW, PAGE 2A.
Working in perfect harmony SISD Fine Arts Director J.B. Perry and teachers strive to balance programs BY NATALIE GENTRY There was a time when fine arts programs seemed to be a thing of the past. In the early 2000’s, many school districts across the nation were drastically downsizing or completely eliminating the arts in response to budget cuts. Luckily, Springtown Independent School District (SISD) wasn’t one of those districts.
programs needed help.” Perry acknowledged that while band directors often have a team, other Fine Arts teachers usually don’t. “The creation of the department allowed us to provide support and encouragement to the other Fine Arts teachers,” Perry said. This organization of the department provides the opportunity to focus funds in areas of the most need. “Part of my job is to represent the Fine Arts teachers and to help them get what they need,” Perry said. “One example is the fact that for the last couple of years the department was able to get grants from the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) to help purchase instruments, risers, and music for the different music programs in the district. “Our school district is fantastic in
the fact that they support our Fine Arts affects the other programs,” he said. program,” he continued. “The superIn fact, having the program coordiintendent, school board, and other nated and organized as it is helps evadministrators have always supported eryone involved see the bigger picture. the program.” “We are always working to streamline the scope and sequence in Fine Come together Arts so we have a common vision In order to help the department from Kindergarten through twelfth grow, Perry has coordinated periodic grade,” Perry said. meetings for the Fine Arts program “For example, in music we want all where teachers are given an opportu- of our teachers to use the same terminity to share activities in different dis- nology so that, as students progress, Getting better ciplines. they aren’t having to relearn terms. It’s SISD Fine Arts Director J.B. Perry He said these meetings allow the in- an ongoing process.” remembers when he stepped into his structors to discuss their programs and “Once I took this job my perspeccurrent role in the district and apin certain cases – such as elementary tive changed, because I understand a plauds the vision held by many in it. music – to coordinate instruction. lot more how one area affects another “When I retired from teaching in “These meetings also make the and the benefits of working together,” 2005, the district invited me back partteachers aware of two things – one: he continued. time as the Fine Arts Director,” Perry there are others out there besides their said. “At the time, the band program program, and, two: what each Fine Here, there and everywhere was thriving but some of the other Arts teacher is doing in their program Perry said he and his teachers are always looking for ways to recognize students for their interests in Fine Arts. “The Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) competition is a great example of a contest that allows students in visual arts classes to be recognized for their work,” he said. “Students in those classes had never had the opportunity to compete in a contest like that before.” Perry said the programs were working to coordinate more within the district as well. “One way we’ve come up with is to combine a visual art display at different music presentations,” Perry said. “In addition, we are trying to encourage students to explore multiple programs, such as choir students taking dance or theater,” he said. It’s collaboration like this that allows for the success of Broadway style musicals such as last year’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. “These events require talents from all the Fine Arts disciplines with the creation of the sets and costumes, to the musical score, and the performers,” Perry said. He said that one of his goals is to help teachers both develop their programs to the highest possible level and to also see the department in a broader J.B. Perry and his Fine Arts cohorts work to enhance and celebrate student success in the SISD. Photo by Natalie Gentry context.
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