Nearly 30 community members from the Wood County area attended last Thursday’s Quitman City Council meeting.

The majority of the meeting revolved around a discussion of the proposed changes to the Sabine River Authority (SRA) Lake Fork Rules and Regulations.

The three key takeaways, according to City Secretary James Attaway’s presentation, were regarding the SRA’s proposed rule changes to include extending roadway width, increasing the separation distance between RVs to 25 feet and eventually removing all park model RVs and tiny homes. 

Community members – especially those who own RV parks in the Lake Fork area – spoke to the council regarding their concern about the new rules. While park owners mentioned that they wanted to work alongside the SRA, many had concerns about the proposed park model home removal, which they say will come to impact local cities and the county with millions of dollars of lost revenue. Ultimately, with both the park model RV removal and the increased lot size regulation, some park owners may not be able to afford staying open, said several citizens who spoke at the meeting.

“Just the groceries – there’s 47 parks on the lake. Just say a thousand people a weekend that the parks drive. $200 is typical, for groceries 52 weeks a year; I suggest that’s probably very, very conservative, and very low. That’s $10.4 million a year, in annual revenue,” said park owner Mark Dunn (who has no relation to Quitman Mayor Randy Dunn). “When that starts to ripple through, then your local economy starts to suffer.”

“That’s a downward spiral, unfortunately,” he continued.

However, despite the many concerns, questions and personal feelings involved in the discussion, Mayor Dunn took a moment to remind the community that nothing is yet finalized regarding the rules, and that Troy Henry, the Upper Basin manager for the SRA, “is a good guy” who is willing and wanting to work with the community on the proposed changes.

“We were asking from a little bit different standpoint, but our heart goes out to you that this is all coming on so quick,” said Mayor Dunn. “They haven’t got that set in concrete…if they have situations that come in, saying, ‘Hey, we need a chance to work towards that; we can’t just do it that hard and fast,’ then I would voice that. He (Henry) welcomed that.”

The board voted to send a letter to the SRA in order to request an economic impact study of the proposed changes.

The Mineola City Council was scheduled to consider a similar letter on Monday.

The board also discussed a motion to approve the consumption of alcohol (beer and wine only, according to Attaway) at the 2025 Old Settler’s Reunion. The motion passed, with alderman Jack Robinson opposing. 

Alcohol will be consumed only within a fenced-in area and only in the evening from Thursday through Saturday, according to Attaway. The board will be working with Quitman Police Department to ensure that the consumption of alcohol is in accordance with the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission. The motion can either go to approve the official serving of alcohol or to approve a “bring your own” consumption, said Attaway: the board will decide which of these to approve when it is closer to the event. The council also discussed where to hold the Old Settler’s Reunion in 2025.

The council discussed, but ultimately tabled, a motion to address the presence of fuel in the sewer line on East Goode St. The odor of fuel had been discovered inside the First Assembly of God church near a shower drain; Mayor Dunn said that the smell of fuel in the sewer line had been a problem “off and on for a while.” 

Quitman city engineer John Ringler said that fuel had been detected in manholes west of the Hitchin’ Post convenience store, and that it had not been discovered east of the station. However, both Attaway and Ringler were quick to mention that Hitchin’ Post owner Jayesh Gheewala (“Jay”) is not at fault for the leak, as his fuel tanks had been checked multiple times.

“Let me be very clear that he has done everything he is supposed to do: in all his tanks, he has checked them multiple times, they have passed every test you could do. So I don’t think for one second that Jay is doing anything incorrect at all,” said Attaway.

Ringler said that engineers and an environmental agency are looking into the problem, which he said is “not just a small issue” and is “not a cheap location to work with.” They will give the council a proposal to replace 630 feet of sewer line, etc., soon.

Quitman resident Jeffrey Higgins asked the council about plans to repair neighborhood streets in the area, specifically around Lance St.

The council took the comment into consideration for the future but were unable to respond at the time. Mayor Dunn also wished the community a happy Thanksgiving and asked residents to sign up for their new emergency notification system. This can be done via the City of Quitman website.