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Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2014 Volume 120, Number 34 GoldthwaiteEagle.com TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 325-648-2244
& the Mullin Enterprise
Woman
Page 2A
on a
Dissolved
Mission
Fox Crossing Water District Closes Down
The Gift of Sight
Tammy Pledger Eagle Asst. Editor The Fox Crossing Water District board voted unanimously to dissolve during a called meeting Monday morning, ending the existence of the district that was created by State Legislature in 1985. Fox Crossing Dissolves Vice chairman Craig Jones made the motion to dissolve the district, citing it be done in accordance with Chapter 54.737 of the Water Code. Board member Bill Bishop seconded the motion. Though Chairman Glen “Cowboy” Love Jr. typically does not vote on agenda items during regular meetings, he voted in favor of the dissolution Monday, saying the vote mandatorily had to be unanimous. The board also voted unanimously, upon waiting 30 days for any final bills that might come in, to divide any remaining funds retained by the district evenly between Mills County and the City of Goldthwaite, as both entities had contributed funds to the district over the years. It was decided any records the current board accumulated to this point would be kept by secretary Diana Moore. Jones said he would send the pertinent documentation on to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), and to Sen. Troy Frasier’s office. The board also voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the public hearing held on Feb. 27. It was noted that at that public hearing, which about 15 interested persons attended, that when the board called for any comments of opposition of the dissolution of the district, there were none. Fox Crossing History When Fox Crossing was created via HB 2487, with two other counties included in the district’s enabling legislation — San Saba and Lampasas counties — but the voters in those counties did not opt to be included in the district. As such, Fox Crossing was formed as a single county district covering only Mills County, where voters did vote in favor of entering into the district in 1985. At the time the district was created, there was the option of a partner vote to call for a tax to fund the district, but such an election was never called. While the district was reportedly created in connection with efforts to build a dam on the Colorado River, its function for several years, as reported by The Eagle in 2009, had been collecting and recording groundwater data in a statewide effort to study groundwater supply in Central Texas over a 50-year period. Fox Crossing also functioned for years as part of Groundwater Management Area (GMA) 8, submitting a set of Desired Future Conditions (DFCs) for the Trinity Aquifer. Funding Issues During this time, the district was funded by the county, but in 2007, the Mills County Commissioners’ Court learned through the release of an Attorney General’s opinion that it was illegal for the county to support the district, and the funding was stopped. At that time, the district’s board looked into other funding options, settling on the decision to become a fee-based district. Initial reports indicated the district’s board considered an annual budget to the tune of $83,000. In January of 2009, the Fox Crossing board approved (by a four to one vote) the implementation of a $25 registration fee per well per year county-wide. See Fox Crossing Dissolved 6A
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Junior Lady Eagle Jayci Padgett dribbles the ball down the court during a recent game at Jody Conradt Gym. Padgett was named to the 2014 All-State Team this week.
Padgett Named All-State Player
By Tammarrah Pledger Eagle Asst. Editor Local woman Sue Cockrum joined a group on a mission trip to Guatemala recently, helping many of the natives there regain the precious gift of sight. A long-time friend and Goldthwaite native, Margaret (Stokes) Matthews, invited Cockrum to come along on the trip, she said, and though she said she was scared to make the trip alone at first, she decided to go ahead due in large part to Matthews’ persistence and her children’s encouragement. After it was all said and done, Cockrum said, she was very glad she went. In planning her trip, which was part of an eye care mission, Cockrum said she wanted to bring something for the children she would see there. She said her Sunday school class helped her to decide to bring toothbrushes and toothpaste, and Graves Dental of Goldthwaite helped out by getting her 150 toothbrushes to give away. The day before they were set to leave, the national news of bomb threats at the Olympics in Russia had border agencies cracking down on transporting tubes of toothpaste, she said, so she was concerned that would be a problem, but in the end, all the supplies made it through. There was also an issue, she would learn, about transporting medicines and medical supplies into the country, as sometimes they would be confiscated by the officials there so they could resell them. The group she was with, from the University Methodist Church of San Antonio, had made the trip several times before and warned her, though, she said.
Jayci Padgett Selected for Two All-State Teams Hayley Wilson Makes All-Region Team
By MIKE LEE Eagle Contributor Goldthwaite junior forward Jayci Padgett has been selected to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and Texas Girls Coaches Association 2014 all-state basketball teams for Class 1A Division I. Additionally, Padgett and Lady Eagles teammate Hayley Wilson, a senior guard, were selected to the TABC All-Region II team. The 6-foot Padgett averaged 13 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the field and forcing 30 steals
during the 2013-14 season. Padgett, who already has been voted the MVP of District 12-1A Division I, played throughout the season with injuries to her shoulder, foot and ankle. “This is Jayci’s second year to make allstate, and it was harder for her this year because everybody knew who she was, ” Lady Eagles coach Angie Hermesmeyer said. “Last year she kind of caught everybody by surprise. This year everybody keyed on her, and she had to adjust her game because of that. ” Twenty players were named to both the TABC and TGCA Class 1A Division I all-state girls’ teams. There is no first- or second-team distinction. Padgett and Wilson were two of 20 players selected to the TABC Class 1A Division I Region II girls’ team. The all-region team also included District 12-1A players McKenna Maxcey of San Saba Kaylee Roach of Hico. Wilson was voted Defensive MVP of District 12-1A after leading Goldthwaite with 55 steals this season. She averaged seven points, three rebounds and two assists. “I know a lot of people just look at offensive stats when they vote on postseason teams, but if you saw us play, you know how important Hayley was to us because of her defense, ” Hermesmeyer said. “Defensive stats like steals don’t get as much notice. It’s nice to see someone who’s more of a defensive specialist be recognized. ” The 2013-14 Lady Eagles finished 21-7, advancing to the regional quarterfinal playoffs.
PHOTO: Senior Lady Eagle Hayley Wilson during a recent game at Jody Conradt Gym in Goldthwaite.
Sue Cockrum during her recent mission trip to Guatemala City.
“They told me, ‘Don’t do anything that makes it look like you are anything more than a tourist,’” Cockrum said. So they did not label any of their luggage “medical supplies,” or wear anything that indicated they were with a medical mission group. They made it across the border with no problem and then boarded a bus in Guatemala City, she said, to head to the clinic site. See Woman on a Mission 6A