Thursday, July 2, 2015
The
WWW.SPRINGTOWN-EPIGRAPH.NET Volume 52, Number 11
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Local woman has 1.5 million ‘friends’ Page 1B
Lunsford leaves ISD Page 3A
Springtown, Texas 76082
CERT-ainly vital
State 7-on-7 tourney next for SHS Page 7A Summertime!
Trained county volunteers prove essential during emergencies BY MARK K. CAMPBELL If you want to get Kit Marshall's hackles up, try telling her that Parker County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members are “just volunteers.” She told Springtown Optimist Club members, “That really gets me going. They deserve respect.” Marshall, who is also the mayor of Aledo and a member of a slew of committees, said CERT volunteers perform a variety of essential services during disasters and emergencies. CERT history The program began because of incidents in Mexico City following a massive earthquake. Hundreds of volunteers poured into the area, but, because there was no organization, 100 of them died trying to help.
Seeing that, a program started in Los Angeles that became the basis for CERT. Marshall said L.A. remains the strongest CERT in America. In Parker County, Judge Mark Riley initiated the program, Marshall said. The CERT program is under the authority of the county judge. Training Marshall annually hosts a “train the trainer” seminar. For CERT volunteers, a 21-hour free course instructs in a variety of areas. There are nine units in the study, among them fire safety, hazardous material, medical operations, and search and rescue. Marshall said, “They are trained on what to do in an emergency, down to wearing proper attire on the scene.” PLEASE SEE CERT, PAGE 2A.
Up and up Springtown monthly sales tax take up 20.28 percent from 2014 BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN This year has been plenty good for Springtown – and most other entities – in 2015. The city of Springtown’s June sales tax revenue of $85,176 is up 12.80 percent compared with $75,508 in June 2014; with $516,387 for the year so far, it’s up 20.28 percent from $429,320 through June 2014. The city of Reno recorded June revenue of $7,439, 23.73 percent more than $6,012 it received for June 2014. Year-to-date, the city has received $51,801 in sales tax revenue, up 37.05 percent from $37,796 for the same period in 2014. Just three entities saw declines in state sales tax revenue in June compared with June 2014: Parker County, Lakeside, and Pelican Bay. Parker County’s 2.49 percent dip in June revenue, from $582,145 in June 2014 to $567,650 was not enough to take the county’s year-to-date revenue into the red. With $3,867,157 in the coffers so far in 2015, the county remains up 11.20 percent compared with the same period in 2014. Lakeside’s revenue of $10,404 is down 8.09 percent from $11,320 in June 2014. For the year, the town is
down 20.93 percent with $73,335 compared with $92,758 through June 2014. In Pelican Bay, June revenue of $1,419 is 6.93 percent less than its June 2014 revenue of $1,525, putting the city 8.91 percent down for the year compared with 2014 totals. Other local taxing entities fared much better. The city of Azle showed the smallest increase them, but still beat the statewide average for June. Its June revenue of $183,337 is up 8.26 percent from $169,339 in June 2014, and its year-to-date revenue of $1,108,206 is up 5.60 percent from 2014 YTD totals of $1,049,384. Azle’s Crime Control and Prevention District saw June revenue of $36,822, 12.79 percent more than June 2014 revenue of $32,646. That puts the district up 8.63 percent for calendar 2015 with $211,258 compared with $194,464 through June 2014. The city’s Municipal Development District fared even better, with $39,909 sales tax revenue for June. The Springtown SplashPad offers more than locals a place to cool off. On a scorching June 30, Alex That’s up 28.73 percent from $31,001 Pyle (left) from Dallas and (l-r) siblings Link and Jubilee Stotler from Weatherford take refuge under a in June 2014. Year-to-date, the district water bubble. The SplashPad will be open July 4. Tickets are $3 for city residents (definition: if you pay your utility bill at City Hall) and $5 for everyone else, non-residents. Park hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. PLEASE SEE SALES, PAGE 5A. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Photo by Mark K. Campbell
Ward Welding: In Springtown for decades BY NATALIE GENTRY A Springtown business has been around for almost 80 years. WestAir, also known as Ward Welding, hosted the June 17 Chamber luncheon with an open house. The event celebrated WestAir’s 45th anniversary and recognized the history of the local company stretching back to the early 1930’s. Ward Welding wasn’t always Ward Welding. A blacksmith’s shop Clarence Ward began work as a mechanic and blacksmith at the location for Hobb's Garage sometime near 1930. Ward took over the business solely as a blacksmith shop between 1936 and 1938. He named the company C. L. Ward Blacksmith and Welding. In 1940, William Ward, Clarence’s son, completed his first welding job at Clarence Ward stands in front of the building that housed his blacksmith shop in the 1930’s. Ward the age of 12. Welding is one of the oldest continually operating businesses in Springtown. Photo corurtesy Ward Welding
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He built the steel pipe columns of the original building, replacing the old, all-wood structure. After he reached adulthood, William Ward worked at several industrial jobs in Fort Worth, including as a production welder building tanks and other steel products. By the mid-1950s, he was back working full-time at the shop where he designed and started building the famous, custom-fit “Springtown Bumper” or “William Ward Bumper” for the backs of hundreds of pick-up trucks until 1995. In the 1970s and 80s, it was not unusual to build a custom bumper daily, and sometimes two per day. Other products perfected by Ward Welding were single-handle operated livestock head-gates. Some of the main products manufactured and often installed were gooseneck “plates” (hitches) installed PLEASE SEE WARD, PAGE 4A.
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