Grayson County Commissioners decided Tuesday to send some folks housed at the Grayson County Courthouse in Sherman packing.
Commissioners voted to purchase the Wilson N. Jones building directly across Houston Street from the courthouse. The county plans to move Community Supervision, adult probation, to the old medical building to make way for other changes at the courthouse. Grayson County Judge Drue Bynum said that the AgriLife Extension staff will move down to probation’s old haunts.
Bynum explained that County Commissioner Bart Lawrence was given the task three weeks ago to find a space in a downtown Sherman building that would work for probation. The space Lawrence found and reported back to the court on has been reviewed by a certified inspector appraiser. Bynum said he is confident the county can get the building for around $475,000 which he said he believes isn’t a bad price as the building appraised for $675,000. The building is just shy of 10,000 square feet said Assistant Grayson County District Attorney Van Price.
“Hats off to Commissioner Lawrence for driving a hard bargain,” Bynum said.
Lawrence teased that the time he took finding a building is “called due diligence.”
Bynum said the county will have to continue to look for space for the elections department to work with and store electronic voting equipment.
In addition to the property, commissioners approved allowing the county to spend $12,750 to join TEX — 21. Ross Turner, a public policy consultant with the lobbying group, said about 60 percent of Texas’ population is represented by the group. One initiative the group is working on is getting U.S. 75 upgraded to an interstate. He said a great deal of the traffic through the Dallas Metroplex and North Texas is on U.S. 75, but Interstate 35 gets all the federal attention. He said the group hopes to help change that.
Bynum called the group “a crackerjack team,” and said he is particularly pleased with the fact that inclusion in the group gives each member entity the same weight when it comes to voting. Dallas gets one vote, he said, and so does Grayson County. Grayson County Commissioner Johnny Waldrip moved to join the group and Lawrence seconded the matter. No one voted against it. The court then picked Bynum, Waldrip and Lawrence as the county’s representatives with Texas — 21.
Next, commissioners adopted resolutions relating to the Pink Hill Water Project. The county is not actually involved in this project but has acted in an administrative function to accept grant money and then pass it through to the project. County leaders also approved requests for road bores on Heritage Road and Newcastle Drive in Precinct 4.
Commissioners approved an interlocal project with the city of Pottsboro. Kevin Farley, Pottsboro city manager, appeared before commissioners and said the city had been given a grant for recreational equipment for a 28 acre outdoor recreational area. The city is in need of a road to run through the area and a parking lot for those using the space. Farley said the grant, unfortunately, didn’t pay for such things. However, he said, the city has found the money needed for the roadway and parking lot in some bond funds. The project, he said, must be finished by July 15. Lawrence repeatedly told the court that the city will pay the county’s standard fees for the use of equipment and personnel to complete the requested tasks.
Lastly, commissioners gave their approval to a new partnership between the county’s Office of Emergency Management and the Texas Department of Public Safety — Texas Highway Patrol and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
“It is in our plan to move DPS into the courthouse,” Bynum said earlier in the meeting. Sarah Somers, Grayson County emergency manager, practically levitated as she told county commissioners that she has stood before them many times announcing funding that came to the county from Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Division of Emergency management.
“We have enjoyed a strong funding partnership that has helped of set the cost of staffing and equipment our Emergency Operations Center which was open in 2009. It is easy to see those improvements we have made … Seeing the improvement we are announcing today takes a little closer look. The good news is a DPS organizational change which results in increased presence of DPS personnel on the ground and serving Grayson County aw well as Cooke and Fannin County, and most importantly, located with us,” Somers said.
She explained that the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas Highway Patrol has approved the creation of a new Disaster District Committee Area 22 in Sherman. The post will serve Highway Patrol District sub ID which includes the counties of Grayson, Cooke and Fannin Counties. The position has been filed with Lt. Hank Sibley and a second position, one for a district coordinator, will be filled in the future. Both those positions will be posted in the Grayson County Courthouse.
