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Eleven students from Junction Middle School were inducted into membership of the National Junior Honor Society in a ceremony held at the High School Auditorium on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. Members were selected by a Faculty Council for meeting high standards of scholarship, service, leadership, citizen- ship and character. Students inducted were: Caitlyn Brooks, Aiden Cardwell, Ashlyn Crabtree, Ava Doss, Trynati Gonzales, Marco Ponce, Bryan Pleitez-Mejia, Jo-Anne Schoppe, Kenna Van Winkle, Colton Williamson and Jazyln Zapote. Merton Skaggs left the limitations of this life behind on May 20, 2020, to join the love of his life in their Heavenly home. June 10, 2020 The Board of the Junction Texas Economic Development Corporation (JTEDC) met on June 2 and received an update on payments made to local businesses affected adversely by restrictions on their operations because of the COVID-19 virus. Other matters addressed included possible new JTEDC office space, efforts to beautify Junction, and miscellaneous reports. All board members were present: Marlene Case, Kimberlee Gosney, Doug Haynes, Carol Neiman, Tom Rattan, Polly Robinson and Hal Rose. The JTEDC’s mission is “[t]o attract, retain, and grow businesses and jobs and improve the quality of life in Kimble County.” In May, the board authorized the payment of $2,000 to certain businesses that were required to close or limit their hours because of the COVID-19 virus. A total of $76,000 was approved for this purpose, and an expedited applica- tion process was established. It was reported at this meet- ing that 35 applications were received, and payment was made to each of the businesses listed below. Board mem- bers received considerable positive feedback on how much the assistance was helping during a difficult time. Rose thanked Robinson and Sanders for their work in preparing and making the assistance available so expeditiously. Businesses each receiving $2,000 were as follows: Lone Star Gallery, Hill Country Artisans, The Honey Bean Coffee, Designs by Darla, Keep It Movin’ Fitness, Lum’s BBQ, Simply Generations, Junction Burger Company, City Sweets, Hair Works, Paddler’s Porch, Isaack’s Restaurant, La Familia Restaurant, Sky Nails & Spa, Junction Jewelry and Gifts, Junction Elite Fitness, Barbara Whitworth, DDS, Gonzales Café, Cowboy Cottage, Mauricio’s, RollerRama, Cooper’s BBQ, New Hope Store, Second Chance Resale, Rafter 95 Crafts, Wagner Barber Shop, Oscar’s Barber Shop, Sassy Senorita, The Jazzy Cowgirl, Fuquay Chiropractic, Times & Seasons, Reflexions Reflexology, Donut Palace, Simply Sheer and Simon Brothers Café. The City Council held its monthly meeting on June 8 and addressed engineering services for replacement of an exposed pressurized main sewer line, the use of federal grant funds related to the COVID-19 virus, and departmen- tal and financial reports. The council also approved use of the City Park by the Menard, Mason, and Junction Farmers Market Co-op. Mayor Russell Hammonds and all the council members, except Preston McDonald, Jr., were present: Steve Couey, Michael Miller, Olan Raley and Znobia Wootan. The council voted unanimously to issue a Request for Qualifications for engineering services for the repair/ replacement of the exposed pressurized main sewer line that goes under the river at the confluence of the North and South Llano Rivers at City Park. The 8” concrete encased line was put in place around 1982. Replacing the sewer line is the city’s priority infrastruc- ture project. City Secretary Garvene Adams informed the council that a grant for $1.5 million has been obtained from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the project with a federal share of $1,130,100 and a non- federal share of $376,700. (An earlier preliminary estimate was that the project would cost between $1.2 million and $1.5 million.) Jonathan Teafatiller, with LNV Engineering, answered questions about the sewer line project and advised that, depending on the timely development of engineering speci- fications and the completion of regulatory review, construc- tion on the project could possibly begin in the spring of next year. Teafatiller commended Adams for her work with FEMA to obtain needed funds. June 17, 2020 The JISD Board of Trustees met on June 10 and discussed and approved many agenda items preparing for the 2020- 2021 school year. President Luke Levien called the meet- ing to order with all other board members in attendance: Bonner Cardwell, Adolfo Ponce, Kendon Roberts, Allen Castleberry (after reading his oath and signing it to once again become a temporary member), Craig Brooks and Justin Bierschwale. The pledges to the U.S. and Texas flags were said, and Michael Carter, JISD superintendent, opened with a prayer. The first item of business was the Consent Agenda, which included financial reports and minutes from previous meet- ings. Roberts moved to approve this Consent Agenda with Brooks seconded. This motion carried unanimously as did all motions in this meeting. There followed discussion and action unanimously to approve the College Readiness Plan; the Early Childhood Reading and Math Plans, and Transfer Students. The board members voted to approve a contract with EDE & Company for 2020-2021. Adult lunch prices were set: $2.56 for break- fast and $3.88 for lunch. The Kimble County Commissioners Court held its month- ly meeting on June 9 and addressed the requirement for matching funds for a possible courthouse restoration grant, the use of a vacant county lot, a resolution related to obtaining federal funds for voting security, and work on county roads. County Judge Delbert Roberts and all the commission- ers, except Kelly Simon (Precinct 2), were present: Billy Braswell (Precinct 1), Dennis Dunagan (Precinct 3) and Kenneth Hoffman (Precinct 4). All votes taken by the court were unanimous. The court has a pending application with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) for a Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program Grant that would pay for restoration of the community’s historic courthouse built in 1929. This is the latest application that has been made over the years. The currently estimated cost of the restoration is between $5 million and $6 million, and the court will be required to provide matching funds of 15 percent or between $750,000 to $900,000. The grant program operates on a two-year cycle with limited funds that results in only a few grants being funded during each cycle. It is not known with certainty if the county will receive the THC grant during the coming year, but Judge Roberts is planning now on how to pay for the grant’s matching fund requirement. Jason Luna, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), was present to explain how funds made avail- able through USDA could be obtained to help provide the matching funds. State Representative Andrew Murr was also present and described the overall outlook of state funding for the courthouse renovation grants. Murr has been instrumental in ensuring that rural communities are not disadvantaged by the grant application process. With the number of people hospitalized for the new coronavirus continuing to climb in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that there’s “no real need to ratchet back the opening of businesses in the state.” One of the reasons, he said in an interview with KYTX television in Tyler, is “because we have so many hospital beds available to anybody who gets ill.” The state reported Friday that the number of people hospitalized in Texas who are confirmed to have the coro- navirus has increased to a new peak of 2,166. That came after three days of record highs this week — reaching 2,153 hospitalized patients Wednesday — and a one-day dip Thursday to 2,008. On Saturday, the state broke another record and reported 2,242 hospitalized patients. Meanwhile, the seven-day average of new daily con- firmed cases of the virus also continues to climb. It reached an all-time high of 1,724 on Friday. Asked about positive test numbers Friday, Abbott said he’s “concerned, but not alarmed.” He noted that testing has gone up across the state and that increased testing efforts in prisons and other high-risk areas are helping drive the higher numbers. Joshua Scott Yglesias was born November 15, 1983, in Fredericksburg, Texas. He left us on June 4, 2020, to be in heaven at the age of 36. Lorene Kathleen Mueller Ivy, 94, of Junction, Texas, passed away on Monday, March 23, 2020. She was born on September 27, 1925, to Frank and Minnie Mueller of London, Texas. June 24, 2020 The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has awarded a grant to Kimble County for the further development The Junction Eagle, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Page 9 We hope the We hope the New Year brings New Year brings you many new you many new adventur! adventur! 208 N. 10th St. • 325-446-2342 New Year’s Hours: New Year’s Hours: CLOSED: Dec. 30, 31 & Jan. 1 Open regular hours on Jan. 4 517 COLLEGE ST. JUNCTION 325-446-3052 Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Bt Wh for a Healthy & Prperous New Year! 701 Main St. • 446-2531 Serving The Community Since 1935 JUNCTION NATIONAL BANK “e Banking Brand in Kimble County” www.junctionnational.com Affordable Air & Heat Affordable Air & Heat Serving Junction & Surrounding Areas Serving Junction & Surrounding Areas 325-446-8999 325-446-8999 TACLB012854C TACLB012854C FROM FROM Four Junction High School seniors received recognition from Fellowship of Christian Athletes for being selected to the All-Star teams. The FCA Concho Valley Area Director Brett Lang delivered plaques, jerseys and memo- rabilia to the students on Monday afternoon. The teams had been scheduled to compete at the Big Country FCA All-Star Festival in Abilene from June 7-13, however the event was canceled due to coronavirus concerns. FCA All-Stars are, from left, Will Chapman, Jewel Schoppe, Nadia Menchaca, Michael Van Winkle and Coach John Contrucci. 6-3-20 The Kimble County Courthouse is listed as one of Texas Historical Commission’s courthouses in danger. According to the commission’s website, “the building does not meet life safety code or comply with accessibility standards.” These issues commonly face many unrestored courthouses in Texas. 6-17-20
