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A socially distant graduation as COVID-19 fears recede in East Texas town Greg Smith, 52, is the city manager of Jacksonville. BY CASSANDRA POLLOCK After weeks of slowly watching his community return to normal during the pandemic, Jacksonville City Manager Greg Smith said last week actually felt busy in his East Texas town. On Tuesday, the school district went forward
with an in-person high school graduation — a “fantastic ceremony” that was “well received by everybody,” Smith said last week. The next day, more than 250 people came together for “a very peaceful unity walk” in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man and former
Houston resident who was killed while in Minneapolis police custody. His death has sparked demonstrations against police brutality across the country. At the graduation ceremony, Smith said, students were limited to a maximum of five guests, and everyone had to practice social distancing. Wednesday’s march, meanwhile, “was an overall good event in these trying times,” Smith said. City officials had informed business officials ahead of the event that street closures would be in effect and law enforcement would be present. The protests have worried public health experts, who say large gatherings will help spread the novel coronavirus. Smith said that Jacksonville has seen only two new cases in recent days and seems to be “on the downhill slide of it not being an issue at all.”
Gov. Greg Abbott’s recently announced third phase of reopenings for businesses across the state, Smith said, doesn’t have a lot of impact in Jacksonville. Businesses are slowly reopening, he said, though several restaurants are still not allowing in-person dining. Meanwhile, the city recently decided to no longer take in-person payments for utility bills. The city has moved all utility payments to online, telephone, bank draft or drop box. “We got all of our systems set up and everything,” he said. “We’re ready to go.” Smith said the city’s shift in utility payments is just one example of the “new normal” that communities across the state and nation will continue to face in the post-coronavirus era. “There is going to be a new normal in every community,” Smith said. “And that new normal is still being developed.”