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- 1. CMYK PAGE 8A •TRINITY STANDARD • THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015 from page 1ACity This is Sassy. She’s a Beagle mix. She has received her shots and been wormed. She’s a very sweet, social 6-8 month old girl. If you are interested in Sassy, please come by Paws of Trinity County and check her out! Paws of Trinity County is a 501c3 non profit. They accept strays/ owner surrenders when space is available. Please call first before bringing an animal to Paws. For more information on adopting an animal from Paws, visit their Facebook page, Paws of Trinity County or call 936-594- 5570 (Photo Source: Paws of Trinity County) 4-H from page 1A Cookoff from page 1A What’s Cooking has participated in the cookoff since its inception, helmed by Don Arnold, who passed away last year. His wife Brenda, and her helpers Savannah and Rosann Joslin, participated in his honor. Kickapoo Pit Crew, consisting of Joe Ned Dean, Keith Thornton, Marcus White, and Danny Stanfield, also participated but didn’t place. Next year, if all goes well, the VFW plans to add a second prize money pot. Gibson announced plans to solicit donations from the community to put together a $1000 prize for the team that collects the most points. “Each team will earn points towards a cumulative score,” Gibson said. “For example, there was a team that didn’t participate in the beans category. Under next year’s rules, they would have started with a 30 point deficit.” The goal for the VFW is to raise $1000, but the amount may be less next year. The cookoff also features the lowest entry fees for this type of contest. For pictures of the winning teams, see B1. The top three highest scoring Senior teams have the opportu- nity to participate in the state competition, which is being held in Rosenberg this June during the State 4-H Round-Up. The County Extension Agent, Armon Hewitt, was on hand at the competition and scored the targets. The Trinity County Senior teams placed second and third at the district match so they will go to the state competition this June to compete against other state clubs. There are usually 35+ teams and over 100 shooters competing at the state competi- tion. This year’s Trinity County team members advancing to state are: Sean Luis, Jacob Hoelewyn, Kaylee McClintock, Hannah Dial and Colby Ebarb from the Groveton community; Hunter Thompson and Parker Hay from the Trinity Commu- nity; and Dustin Pickle from Apple Springs. Participants have the opportunity to win scholar- ships for their shooting skills. Volunteers that would like to assist in the shooting competi- tions must take a three day 4-H shooting sports coaches train- ing session. Trinity County has a dedicated group of volunteers that have been through the course and spend many hours assisting and overseeing the young shooters and their safety skills. Trinity County also has teams from the Groveton 4-H Club competing in the State Forestry contest this week and two teams competing in the state wildlife contest in May. They will have three teams competing at the multi county livestock judging contest at Texas A&M on April 25 and nine members compet- ing in the District 5 Roundup at SFA in the Fashion Show, Duct Tape Design contest and Duds to Dazzle Contest. For pictures of the winners, see B2. Court from page 1A In other business addressed by the commissioners, con- tracts were ratified for the two ambulance service providers in the county, with an exclusive 911 contract being awarded to Ventura EMS by the county and an exclusive service contract be- tween the county and Groveton EMS awarded for the assistance of $1,000 per month. Each con- tract came after discussions and collaboration between Trinity County Judge Doug Page and the respective services’ own- ers, Keith Shelley and David Robison. A public hearing was set for the date of May 11 to establish a speed limit, install speed limit signs, weight load limit signs and other types of signs in the Lake “L” Estates subdivision. During the discussion, Smith asked County Attorney Joe Bell about the legality of 4-wheelers being driven on county roads, an issue that the other three com- missioners concurred was also a problem in their respective precincts. According to Bell, 4-wheelers were allowed to cross the roads, but not on the roadways. County Auditor Sheila John- son gave the commissioners the quarterly report for the county’s fee-collecting offices and the monthly expense report.Accord- ing to Johnson, Trinity County’s income is at 91% overall for tax- es and the general fund’s income is at 86% while expenses are at 50% for the month of March, figures she said were “really good”. Precinct 2 Commissioner Rich Chamberlin gave updates for the road improvement projects fund- ed with monies from the CETRZ and Hurricane Ike 2.2 grants. He said that out of 17 roads slated to receive loads of rock in Precinct 2, only two remained. He said that weather permitting, the re- maining few loads of rock would be delivered. Judge Page also gave an update on the water tow- er project in Trinity, on which construction of the structure will begin next week. In other business, pauper fu- neral applications were reviewed on behalf of Carl Kappel and Leslie Hughes Dunlap. Dunlap’s was approved, while Judge Page said he would look further into Kappel’s. Bro. Jack McMahon of First United Methodist Church of Groveton gave the invocation to begin the meeting and also spoke during the public forum portion. He thanked the commis- sioners for their involvement in the Davy Crockett Bear Chase Marathon, which took place last weekend. He called the event a “rousing success,” despite a near-certain forecast of inclem- ent weather. With several grant projects in place during the fiscal year, the general fund construction in progress increased by $1.5 million. The budget to actual comparison for the general fund showing the city’s total expenditures were within the budget by $77,000. Resolution #15-0004 Doug McCormick, a representative of Entergy, went before the council to speak about how customer load growth in industrial, commercial, and residential sectors in Texas and the South has created a need for Entergy and three other non- ERCOT electric utilities to look for ways to meet the growing demand. McCormick explained “non- ERCOT” as being the name of the electric grid that covers 90% of Texas that all the utilities on that bid went into competition several years ago. Entergy Texas will need an additional 2,000 megawatts by the end of 2016 and 8,000 megawatts by 2025. The current lag time between the infrastructure being put in place and when the utility can begin to recover the expense is too long. Two bills in the Texas House and Senate, SB 841 and HB 1535, will better synchronize this timing issue, making modifications to the Public Utilities Regulatory Act, which regulates those few utilities still under the Public Utility Commission of Texas. The bill will reduce the time between construction and recovery, allow for faster development of needed infrastructure in non-ERCOT areas, allow for better financing terms and fewer expensive rate cases, support economic development by timely meeting customers’ needs for services and put non-ERCOT utilities on a more even playing field with the ERCOT utilities. Resolution #15-0004 supporting the House and Senate bills was passed by the Council. Other Business: • Received a report from City Administrator Jo Bitner on the monthly funds as of April 9, which amounts to $792,823.46 • Appointed Susan Madeley Stevenson, Jessica Parrish, and LaRuth Gates to replace Selam Rippey, Polly Simmons and Marty Shaw at the Blanche K. Werner Library Commission. • Received a report and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Trinity Lions Club for their help with the Gun Show in March. • Approved a motion to prohibit food and drinks in the Council Chambers • Approved a Proclamation for National Day of Prayer • Received a report from Kenneth Newton on the DETCOG meeting he attended in March • Approved Ventura EMS’ request to construct a radio antenna on top of the water tower for better EMS communications • Received a report on the water tower construction from City Administrator Jo Bitner Brooke Ross, director of Social Services at Avalon Place, was recognized as well as other social service workers for Social Worker Month in March. She works daily to help residents and families cope with problems in their everyday lives. (Photo Source: Avalon Place) EOEM/F/D/V SCHNEIDER IS HIRING TRUCK DRIVERS! Experienced drivers, new Class A CDL holders and owner-operators should apply ($6,000 tuition reimbursement for qualified candidates) UP TO $7,500 SIGN-ON BONUS MAY APPLY EARN UP TO $61,000/YEAR TANKER, DEDICATED, TRUCKLOAD AND DRAY OPPORTUNITIES | SOLO AND TEAM WORK Some drivers home weekly Apply: schneiderjobs.com/newjobs | More Info: 800-44-PRIDE