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Thursday, February 26, 2015
Volume 51, Number 45
$1 Springtown, Texas 76082
Icy conditions put brakes on activities Two school days cancelled by mark k. campbell Getting around town got tough for a few days there. An inch of sleet collected in the area and it hung around, from Sunday into Wednesday. Even though a projected snowstorm didn’t arrive that Wednesday – only a dusting fell – Springtown ISD administrators had decided the night before to postpone school openings for two hours. Already, Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 23-24, had been cancelled because of treacherous road conditions. Making the decision to call off school is a stressful procedure. The ISD sends out a “team of drivers” to check out roadways as early as 5 a.m. on potential weather-troubled days.
When a decision is made, school officials contact parents through their website, the ParentLink phone messaging system, the ISD’s Facebook page, and via the district’s phone app. The Epigraph also posted information on its Facebook and Twitter outlets as soon as information was received from the ISD. Another early-morning outing by school personnel on Feb. 25 convinced the district to hold to its twohour delay opening and students were back in class at 10 that morning. The weather also wreaked havoc with extracurricular activities. The Springtown boys’ bi-district playoff game against Godley in Aledo was moved twice – from Monday to Tuesday – before being played on Wednesday.
Sleet and ice caused this daffodil to face plant while traffic slowed to a crawl everywhere, including Highway 51 South. It took a couple of days for the roads to clear. Photos by Mark K. Campbell
Flapjack fun(ds) Optimists hosting pancake supper fundraiser March 5 By Natalie Gentry It’s for the kids – and their future education. The griddles will be hot and the food will be plentiful Thursday, March 5 at the 12th Annual Springtown Optimist Club Pancake Supper. The meal will be served from 4:307 p.m. in the Springtown High School Cafeteria. Tickets are $6 per plate and children five and younger eat free. The price includes pancakes, bacon, sausage, coffee, tea, and orange juice. Set up to raise money for the group’s scholarship fund, the pancake breakfast has become a staple of the community’s giving nature, according to Optimist Club Treasurer Jim Bragdon. The Springtown Optimist club began on May 23, 1983 and has had an average membership of 34 people. According to Bragdon, members represent most of the businesses in the area, with the primary business being the Springtown independent school
district. “Over the years we’ve had many different fundraisers to support our programs. Some worked well, some conflicted with other organizations so we were always looking for a signature event to raise funds,” Bragdon said. “Twelve years ago we decided on the pancake supper as the next best venue.” At the time, no one else was conducting this type of a fundraiser, Bragdon said. “By having only one event versus multiple fundraisers made it easier on our members and the businesses that supported us to commit,” he continued. The pancake supper proceeds fund the club’s Young Texanne/Texan program, the Oratorical and Essay contests, the annual Youth Appreciation Breakfast, the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) program, the bicycle safety program. But the bulk of the funds go to scholarships for graduating seniors.
“All of those programs cost us about $4,000 an year to conduct.” Bragdon said. “The past several years we have given four $500 scholarships.” “If the pancake supper generates more income we will add additional scholarship money; we give back to the youth of this community,” he continued. This year the event will include a raffle instead of the silent auction. The raffle features gift certificates and merchandise donated by local merchants. According to Bragdon, the Optimists typically feed between 350 to 400 people at the pancake supper. “Over the years it has become a real community event. We see many of the town’s residents every year; they like the gathering as a chance to revisit with old friends and neighbors and have thanked us for that,” he said. “It gives them a chance to continue to support the youth of Springtown even if their children have long since gone on with their lives.”
Hanger, 9 Mile TxDOT projects accelerated Jacksboro Hwy. early beneficiary of Prop I by Carla noah stutsman At long last, there is good news about three construction projects that will virtually complete the 10-mile stretch of highway between Azle and Lake Worth known as State Highway 199 or the Jacksboro Highway. According to State Representative Charlie Geren, the three projects are now included in the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) proposed projects for years 2, 3 and 4 of Proposition I. The Texas Transportation Funding Amendment, Proposition 1 was on the Nov. 4, 2014 general election ballot in the state of Texas as a legislativelyreferred constitutional amendment, where it was approved by voters. The measure diverted half of the general revenue derived from oil and gas taxes from the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) – also known as the Rainy Day Fund – to the State Highway Fund for the purpose of providing transportation funding for repairs and maintenance of public roads. It was anticipated that this would
result in approximately $1.2 billion per year going toward transportation funding instead of the Rainy Day Fund. The measure took effect immediately and has been applied to transfers the comptroller made after Sept. 1, 2014. The three SH 199 projects include constructing an overpass at Nine Mile Bridge Road; building an overpass at Hanger Cutoff Road/Tenderfoot Trail; and reconstructing the main lanes of traffic between those two intersections. The three projects are anticipated to cost $44 million, Geren said. “We’re in the first year of Proposition 1, and these projects are proposed to begin in years 2, 3 and 4,” Geren explained. “I’ll do all I can to try to get them moved up in the process, but the important thing is that we’re in the system now. Before, we were just on the sidelines.” Earlier estimates had put the projects years – maybe even decades – into the future.
SISD hosts Open House events March 3, 5 By Natalie Gentry Texas Public School Week runs March 2-6; however, most Springtown ISD schools will welcome the public March 5. Only Springtown Intermediate School offers a different date. SIS will hold their March Math Madness Tuesday, March 3 from 6-7:30 p.m. All other schools invite visitors Thursday, March 5. Goshen Creek Elementary and Reno Elementary will host their Open Last year’s crowd at the annual Optimist Club Pancake Supper enjoys the meal; funds raised con- Houses from 6-7 p.m. Springtown Elementary will hold an tribute to the club’s scholarship fund. Photo by Mark K. Campbell
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assortment of presentations including a book fair from 5-7 p.m., the Gifted and Talented play from 5:45-6:15 p.m., the second grade musical from 6:30-7 p.m., and the Open House from 6-7 p.m. Springtown Middle School’s Open House will begin at 6:30 and run until 7:30. Finally, Springtown High School (SHS) will present “A Night at the Arts” from 6-7:30 p.m. The event will feature performances by the SHS Jazz Band, One Act Play, SHS Drum Line, SHS Choir, SHS Color Guard, and several art projects.
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