Removing barriers to America’s favorite pastime
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–Spearheading the city of Gun Barrel’s efforts to develop a Miracle League baseball field, David Morrow spoke to the Kiwanis Club during its weekly meeting at the Jalapeno Tree.
He told Kiwanians that the nearest baseball field designed specifically for special-needs children is in Arlington, Frisco and Irving.

Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
Kiwanis members Tate Cramm (left), Andrea Baker and Ralph Fortner look at a sample of the rubber rollout material currently in use on Miracle League baseball diamonds. The smooth, durable sheeting material allows those with special physical needs to use walkers, wheelchairs and other aides to navigate around a baseball field, which can double as a soccer and kickball field, Gun Barrel City parks employee David Morrow said.

“We have 400 special -needs athletes within a 50-miles radius of Gun Barrel City,” Morrow said.
“If just one child gets to use the diamond, its would be worth the expense,” he added.
Morrow estimates the cost for one here between a quarter million and half a million dollars.
Morrow passed around synthetic rubber surface samples, for members to see how smooth and durable it is and friendly to wheelchairs, walkers and other aides.
“The roll-out surface is the biggest expense,” Morrow explained how it goes over an asphalt base layer.
All bases and lines would be prepainted on the roll-out surface and generally doesn’t fade or chip over time, he said.
“Special Olympics could use it to host its matchup and practices,” he added.
“Our goal is to get the Texas Rangers to gain naming rights to the field (by donating $150,000 toward its construction,” Morrow said.
“It’s a major undertaking (for the city),” Morrow admits, but one he feels the city is ready to take on. The city would maintain the field and donate the land for one where the third baseball diamond is now, Morrow said.
“In this game, there are no outs. Everyone gets to hit, and every hit is a home run,” he said. “It’s a place to feel (you’re) a part of a baseball program.”
The local Miracle League board of eight members draws half its membership from the Kiwanis Club. Working diligently on the process for the past 10 months, the local organization will soon have tax-free charity status, and Morrow is targeting several prospective sponsors of the project.
Morrow said he’s been encouraged in the project when learning from the national organization that they’ve never seen a field not be built.
Currently, there are more than 300 such fields worldwide, he said.

Department of Transportation
to landscape US 175
Nine county bridges due repairs and refurbishing
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KAUFMAN–It takes good, dry weather for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDot) crews to be able to work on Texas roads. And it takes reasonably warm, wet weather to plant decorative shrubs and trees.
Monday, Kaufman commissioners heard contracts were let in June for landscapers to begin work on projects east and west of Kemp city limits on U.S. Highway 175.
However, under the current severe drought conditions, that may be delayed.
Brenda J. Callaway, TxDot assistant area engineer for Kaufman and Rockwall counties presented an update of TxDot’s projects for the county.
Already underway is the landscaping project which includes tree and shrub planting for the Kemp area and also East of Farm-to-Market 148 to west of FM 741 and at .
Also several stretches of FM 148 are getting refurbished, including from the Lively area to State Highway 274. Turn lanes are being added to FM 34, at the Scurry and the Rosser intersections on SH 34.
Due to safety concerns, bridge work in the county is being emphasized.
Nine bridges are being moved up on the TxDot time schedule.
“Some of them are moving up as much as two years,” Callaway explained.
Locations include FM 148 at Buffalo Creek and County Road 279 east of CR 429 at Kings Creek.
Other projects around the county include seal coats on various county roads.
“The cost will run about $500,000 apiece, a total of approximately $4 million,” she said.
At the end of her talk, Callaway was asked if she could make a report to commissioners about every six months on the status of TxDot work in the county.
She said she could.
Someone then asked where TxDot acquired its funding.
“Some of my funds are from gasoline taxes and some come from government sources,” she said.
In other business, commissioners:
• approved a cooperative agreement with Kaufman, Van Zandt, Rockwall Soil and Water Conservation District No. 505 for repairs of the Lower East Fork Laterals Site No. 7, the East Fork of the Trinity levee control near Crandall.
“The structure had a slip (dirt slid down the side) leaving the crown more narrow. We went from a repair job to maintenance,” Glenn Lubke, NRM (natural resource manager) said.
The area empties within the Cedar Creek water shed, he explained.
Cost for repairs and maintenance are approximately $300,000.
• approved the amendment to the county’s contract with East Texas Medial Center EMS in which an adjustment to the base cost was raised.
The cost is not to the county but to clients using their service.
T.C. Howard, regional director for ETMC, EMS said the current cost is $560 to $600 and the company is asking for an increase to $1,250.
“We intend to use the funds to put another 24-hour ambulance in service and to pay four more full-time salaries,” he explained.
EMS currently has an ambulance stationed in Forney, two in Terrell, one in Kaufman, and one at the Mabank Fire Station, he added.
• accepted the tax assessor/collector’s report as presented.
The collection rate is now at 96 percent, the highest rate ever, Precinct 1 Commissioner Jerry Rowden said.
Rowden filled in for Dick Murphy who had another engagement.
• accepted the treasurer’s June report, quarterly report ending in June and the investment report for the quarter ending June 30.
The three reports were presented by county treasurer Johnny Countryman.
• approved budget transfers as presented .
• paid bills totaling $554,058.79.

Homeowners warned about mailout
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
MABANK–Homeowners in Mabank are being targeted for a mailout recommending they purchase water service line coverage from Home Service.
Mabank Police Lt. Keith Bradshaw want Mabank residents to know the city does not endorse the circular, nor is the company licensed to solicit within the city.
“This company isn’t even in Texas. It’s based in Florida,” Bradshaw told The Monitor Thursday. “We’re not saying it’s a scam, we just want our residents to be careful and know that even though it looks official, the city has nothing to do with it,” he added.
The flyer offers $7,000 worth of service over the course of a year for a monthly fee of $4.99 for up to two service calls a year, totaling $3,500 each incident.
Bradshaw said he called the company and was told a service call from Mabank would be handled by a rotation of bonded businesses in that line of work, but wouldn’t give him a list of business names.
In addition, the small print says this service does not cover preexisting conditions or acts of God.