Quitman council approves Tomie St. drainage project

By Larry Tucker
editor@wood.cm
Posted 11/25/21

The Quitman City Council approved a bid for the long-awaited drainage project completion for Tomie Street at their Thursday evening meeting at Quitman Public Library. 

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Quitman council approves Tomie St. drainage project

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The Quitman City Council approved a bid for the long-awaited drainage project completion for Tomie Street at their Thursday evening meeting at Quitman Public Library. 

A bid for $361,453 from Fritcher Construction Services was approved for the storm drainage project contingent on the concurrence of the Texas Department of Agriculture, Office of Rural Affairs. 

“This is a project associated with a block grant. There were two phases to that, one a sewer project on Stephens Street kicking off any day now. This is the second part where we will use the grant for drainage into that area (Tomie Street),” City Administrator Rodney Kieke said. “If you have never been over on Tomie Street when it’s raining, water floods throughout and backs up into the houses and it’s too flat to get it away from the area, so we are going underground with it and hope to pull from both sides of the street.”

An inter-local agreement with Wood County was tabled. “We agreed to hire an employee for the county airport and this is an inter-local agreement that solidifies all of what of our parts in the agreement are. We need to change some of the terminology,” Kieke noted. No action was taken.

Ila Wisdom spoke on upcoming activities concerning Hometown Christmas in downtown Quitman and the new chamber director.

“The new chamber manager is Christine Thomas. She really loves Quitman and it shows,” Wisdom said.  The chamber offices have been moved from Jim Hogg City Park to the Quitman Development Corporation offices behind city hall.

Wisdom reported there will be more downtown lighting in the Christmas decorations as well as a new Christmas tree at the courthouse.

The tree lighting will be held Thanksgiving evening at 7:30 p.m. There will be a short program for the children just prior to the lighting of the tree.

Downtown merchants will be open for “Black Friday” sales Thanksgiving evening with shopping until 11:30 p.m.

Hometown Christmas will be Saturday Dec. 11 from 2 to 8 p.m. with plenty of vendors, food and family fun. Pictures with Santa will be available in front of the Christmas tree at the square.