Walmart Being Evacuated Due To Possible Threat
The Walmart in Sulphur Springs is currently being evacuated. Local law enforcement reported a possible bomb threat was called in. Officials are currently in the process of evacuating the store so it can be check out.
Witnesses stated the store alarm sounded, and an overhead announcement calmly asked everyone to drop their shopping an evacuate the building.
The validity of the threat is yet to be determined.
Obviously, all agencies request people avoid the area until the all clear is given.
KSST has not received any report of any injuries.
Stay tuned to KSST for further updates.
Planning And Zoning Commission Recommends Granting Special Use Permit
After discussion Monday evening, Sulphur Springs Planning and Zoning Commission is recommending that the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals approve Danny Weems’ request for a special use permit.
Weems Monday night told the Planning and Zoning Commission that the tower would allow his business to construct a communications tower to extend up to 180 foot tower. Cross Country Communications provides telephone and Internet services which are broadcast via “line-of-sight” to the businesses other tower, which would allow the business to offer services to additional areas.
The business currently has a tower that extends 120 feet above ground level. It is affixed to the top of the building at 402 Church St. and is supported by guide wires. Allowing the business to have a 180 foot tower would allow the business to put addition equipment on the tower and extend it further into the air, which should allow the service to be available to additional potential customers. The tower on top of the building now would be removed, Springs Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski and Weems told the three commission members present at their 6 p.m. meeting Monday.
The tower would be very similar to one another property owner has constructed at 100 Craig Street.
Niewiadomski said 17 letters had been sent out regarding the proposal, but had received only one response on Monday from a Mr. Schnell who lives at 416 Church St. who provided four reasons of opposition to the request.
Schnell cited the tower’s line-of-sight to the courthouse, providing another tower next to the current one; in and out of compliance for years with no light markings; concern who would be responsible for the tower if the business were to move or go out of business, if it were to decay or fall down, and how that would impact neighbors’ homeowner’s insurance; and radio frequency radiation, Niewiadomski told the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Planning and Zoning Commissioner Tommy Harrison asked if there had been any issues with lighting, as indicated in the letter.
Niewiadomski said he was aware of no problems, but referred the question to the applicant.
Weems said the tower was on the building when he purchased it, used by prior Atmos Energy for use for two-way radios.
“There has never been any problem with the tower as far as lighting, no lighting was required. The lighting comes in if you are over 195 feed,” Weems told the council.
Because the tower would be only up to 180 feet, it wouldn’t require any special lighting as the 100 foot tower atop the 20 foot tall building.
Currently, Cross Country Communications has a company that checks on the guide wires on the existing building as a maintenance matter. The new tower would be self-supporting with a foundation according the drawings prepared by an engineer.
“These towers are all over the country. They are very safe the way they are engineered. We shouldn’t have any problems at all. Really, there’s no maintenance to be done,” Weems said.
English asked if the tower would, in his opinion, be safer than the existing tower.
“I don’t want it to sound like my tower isn’t safe. It will hold more equipment,” Weems said, adding that it is “probably safer” due to the age of the existing tower, which professionals have verified is still structurally sound.
Harrison asked if the business were to relocate or no longer operate at the location, what would become of the tower.
Weems he said he expects if the business were moved to a different location and sold the property, the tower would likely remain a fixed asset on the property, unless the new owner did not want it there.
Craig English noted the tower in real estate would be considered the same way a driveway or other similar feature would. It would be up to any future owner whether or not to remove the tower.
Weems said the tower could easily be dismantled with a crane, just as it will be assembled in 20 foot sections after the foundation it’s placed into is set. Most of the work will be in the foundation, with a lot or rebar and concrete, all under the ground and not visible.
Niewiadomski reminded the council of the rule they learned earlier in the year when a request was made for a cell tower. The commission is not allowed to consider the environmental affects of towers when reviewing applications.
a proposed communications tower to be located next to her residence.
Laura Ardis, who lives next door to the property at 400 Church St., asked why the propsed tower had to be so close to her property instead of in the middle or back corner adjoining a business property.
Weems said the tower’s proposed location because of it’s proximity to the building, as cables will go from the tower into the building to transmit data, and because the other area of the property is a designated parking area.
Ardis called the tower, visible from her back yard a “hideous” sight.
Planning and Zoning Commissioner Mike Horne asked if the tower would be visible from Ardis’ back yard.
Weems said there are trees and vegetation, but a tall, possibly 8 foot tall privacy fence could be installed to hide that much of it from public view. There’ currently a chain-link fence in place.
Ardis asked requirements in city ordinance regarding towers.
Horne noted a special use permit is required to construct a tower, which are approved on a case by case basis. Niewiadomski reported there’s no other specific requirements.
Chris DeLong, who co-owns one multifamily property near the site, asked if there would be any benefits to the residents and community.
Weems said it would make additional internet available to more property owners, residents and businesses at a competitive rate.
Niewiadomski said it is the recommendation of city staff that the request be approved provided two requirements are met. First, city staff would like to there to be a letter from the FAA indicating no hazard will exist from the proposed facility. Also, the applicant would need to comply with all FCC requirements for pre-clearance, which would be provided before the city officially issues the permit.
The Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to recommend the tower request as proposed to the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals, who will have final say on the request. The matter is among the items listed for ZBA consideration at the board’s next meeting, scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, at City Hall, 201 North Davis St.
The Planning and Zoning Commission was slated to discuss accessory dwelling units, but opted to table that discussion until a future meeting.
Also, the city will have the task of appointing two members to the commission in the future. Commissioner Kelly Grimes had to resigned previously. Mike Horne has notified the city that he too will soon be moving outside of the city limits and thus ineligible to serve on the committee.
The Downtown Revitalization Board canceled its scheduled meeting Monday night due to lack of quorum.
Mitchell Chapel COGIC Gives Back with Community Lunch
For the past several years, the Mitchell Chapel Church family has been blessed to give to the Sulphur Springs community through the “Rescue the Perishing” Food Drive during December. This Christmas, their gift comes in the form of a free lunch for the community. On the menu is chicken and dressing, green beans, potato salad, bread, dessert and drink. The delicious lunch plate, prepared by the good cooks at Mitchell Chapel, will be available at noon on Friday December 20 at the church dining hall at 402 South JD Franklin Street, (formerly named South Jackson Street). It is offered free in the spirit of Christmas. Anyone can come and dine in or take out. Delivery is not possible this year.
“We have been so blessed this year with growth at our church. The congregation is growing and is excited and exuberant in their worship!” remarked Pastor of Mitchell Chapel COGIC, Nelson Gatlin on the KSST Good Morning Show. Gatlin has served the church for 23 years, and in addition to his local responsibilities, in 2015 Gatlin was named a prelate or Bishop of the Texas NE 3rd Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. Now, Sulphur Springs is the headquarter city for the Jurisdiction, and Mitchell Chapel Church is the headquarter church. Earlier in December, Gatlin invited the other Bishops for a visit. The local congregation hosted all the 18 Bishops from across the State of Texas for a mid-week retreat. In addition to 10 Auxiliary bishops, there are 28 total serving the state, and more than 350 Bishops Church in the Church of God in Christ worldwide.
In addition to this Friday’s community lunch, the public is invited to attend services of the multi-racial congregation all through the year. Sunday School starts at 9am and Morning Worship at 10:30am every Sunday. A special 8am Worship service is added on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, and Pastoral teaching is held on Thursdays at 7pm. From Pastor Gatlin and First Lady Katherine Gatlin, everyone is welcome to visit and to come back and worship with us.
SSISD To Hold Substitute Teacher Orientation
Sulphur Springs Independent School District will be conducting a substitute teacher orientation on Friday, Jan.10, at the SSISD Administration Board Room, located at 631 Connally St. The training will start at 9 a.m. and will last approximately two hours.
This orientation is required for anyone new who wants to be a substitute teacher for SSISD. For more information, contact Tawlene Lampp at 903-885-2153.
Wildcats Soccer Coach Alexi Upton Comments on Wins at Saturday's First Scrimmage.
Wildcats Soccer Coach Alexi Upton does not want his Wildcats to get too hyped up over three scrimmage game wins Saturday (December 14) at Gerald Prim Stadium. The wins came against 3A teams Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill, Sabine and Mineola. Coach Upton said his Wildcats took care of business. All of his players saw action and played a equal number of minutes. Coach Upton said he liked that the Wildcats generated lots of scoring chances. He said they could have done a better job of finishing. Still the Wildcats had 10 goals in the three games. He also liked the fact that the Wildcats did a good job possessing the ball. Coach Upton said the Wildcats will have a much more severe test Tuesday night as they scrimmage Paris at The Prim. Paris is preseason ranked #6 in Class 4A.
Lady Cats Basketball Coach Brittney Tisdell Said Lady Cats Had Rough Night Friday
Lady Cats Basketball Coach Brittney Tisdell said she knew Pleasant Grove was a good team before her Lady Cats played them in Texarkana Friday evening. As expected the talented Lady Hawks made it a rough night for the Lady Cats. Pleasant Grove won 84-47. Still Coach Tisdell found some silver linings. She said she was super proud of her team that trailed by only 9 points, 31-22 at halftime. Coach Tisdell said she had heard that three of the Lady Hawks were being pursued by Division I colleges and she said one girl had a strong third quarter and another caught fire in the fourth quarter to really put the game away. Coach Tisdell said the final score did not indicate how well the Lady Cats played. She said the Lady Cats looked a lot better than they did during a Glen Rose tournament the week before. Kenzie Willis led the Lady Cats with 15 points against Pleasant Grove.
Coach Tisdell said she is rebuilding the Lady Cats this season after losing four starters to graduation last year. She is playing three freshmen lots of minutes each game. Coach Tisdell said he has asked the freshmen to grow up quickly. She said the Lady Cats are also playing a tougher schedule this season. Coach Tisdell said her team is getting better and is trying hard. Another tough team is on the schedule Friday as the Lady Cats will travel to Princeton for a 6 p.m. game.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Wildcats Basketball Coach Cipoletta Says Team Got Better During Forney Tournament
Wildcats Basketball Coach Clark Cipoletta declared this past weekend’s (December 12-14) Forney Tournament a successful one for his Wildcats saying they got better as a team against good competition. The Wildcats made it to the Tournament Championship Game where they lost 47-46 to The Colony when a last second three-point shot refused to fall. Coach Cipoletta said anytime you can get to a tournament championship game you have to be excited about it. He said the Saturday loss did not take away from how well the Wildcats played at times. He called the loss a learning opportunity to get better. He said one thing they can take away from the loss is that it is hard to win with a slow start against a good opponent. The Wildcats trailed by 11 at the half after two less than stellar quarters that included more than the usual number of turnovers. Coach Cipoletta said the Wildcats were casual with the ball in the first two quarters. He said he is continuing to want four good quarters in each game by his Wildcats. Day Day Hall made the All-Tournament Team. Coach Cipoletta said Hall was deserving and he added that Grayson McClure, Boo Wilkerson and Cameron Kahn also had some strong games. Next for the Wildcats is Denton Guyer, ranked #5 in Class 6A, in the Main Gym at Sulphur Springs High School Tuesday night.
Winnsboro Police Department Media Report For Dec. 9-Dec. 15, 2019
Arrests
- No Arrests
Calls for Service
- The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 150 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations
- The Winnsboro Police Department issued 26 citations and 50 warnings during this reporting period.
