After more than a decade of public service, I have come to trust that the voters of Rockwall County are educated, wise and they rise to the occasion. This was particularly evident when the 2008 $100 million road bond passed overwhelmingly, despite a depressed economy. Planning for our future growth is essential to maintaining our quality of life, and the people of Rockwall County stepped up to the plate.
Now the pressure is on your elected officials to make things happen and you deserve to be kept apprised of our progress.
To date, the Rockwall County commissioners court has been actively pursuing additional funding and working through the processes with TXDOT for all the targeted roads on the Bond. Rockwall County Judge, Chris Florance, has attended meetings as the new regional transportation representative for our county. Commissioner Jerry Wimpee attends those meetings when the Judge cannot. Commissioner David Magness is heading the Rockwall County Road Consortium, in which mayors, city officials, county officials, TXDOT representatives, and North Central Texas Council of Government representatives meet monthly for planning and monitoring progress. All court members have been active with our representatives in Austin and have received pledged support for the need to increase our road capacity.
In addition, Commissioner Dennis Bailey and I have formed a FM740 Task Force in order to expedite the improvements needed for that thoroughfare. Bill Cecil, mayor of Rockwall, and John Ratcliffe, mayor of Heath, along with their respective staff, have been instrumental in pressing for progress. Despite internal personnel changes and departmental restructuring, TXDOT has been responsive and the entire task force is focused on getting the job done.
In addition, the George Bush 190 Eastern Extension, which will connect all the way to I30, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2011. Mayor John Harper, Rowlett, has been extremely active in bringing this improvement to our region.
The voters of Rockwall County acted in good faith by passing this road bond, and the timing could not be more perfect. Rockwall County is investigating all potential funding sources, including the pool of money planned as part of the federal economic stimulus package. The processes to get a road constructed are frustratingly cumbersome, but we are working through those obstacles with a determination for success.
I believe the citizens of Rockwall County expect and deserve to get progress reports periodically on the status of our community’s road projects. Look to the Rockwall County Web site, www.rockwallcounty.com, for updates, and feel free to contact me or any of the county commissioners for additional information.
Lorie Grinnan, is the Rockwall County Commissioner for Precinct 2. Her opinions are her own and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Rockwall County Herald-Banner or its staff.
Opinion
A road bond progress report
Lorie Grinnin - Guest Editorial
- Opinion
-
-
Editor addresses send-in items
I often hear people wondering if they should lift heavy or lighter weights.
-
More law, disorder
If you thought last week’s assemblage of the bizarre and ridiculous from the legal system was as strange as it gets, then as Al Jolson would say “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Here are some more of the weirdest happenings in our courts recently.
-
Looking at this weekend's movies
BATTLESHIP
Take a pinch of “Independence Day,” add water to “War of the Worlds” and blend in a heaping portion of “Transformers,” and you have director Peter Berg’s -
Greetings may be in the cards for retirement days
As you can tell, I’m in the twilight of my work career.
To stress how anxious I am for retirement to arrive, I could say that I’m just dying to retire. But I’m not going to say that. I’m really not that anxious. -
You can’t balance this budget
I recently saw an explanation, in the most simplistic form, of why our country continues to spiral deeper and deeper into debt.
-
Going green helps keep bodies fit
Over the summer it may seem that it’s a hard time to continue to eat healthy while you may be running kids to t-ball practice, going to meet your friends at the lake,
-
Law and Disorder
During any given week, the legal system gets more than its fair share of strange filings, odd litigants, or unusual results. For example, remember your mother’s threats to wash your mouth out with soap if you used dirty words?
-
Looking at this weekend's movies
DARK SHADOWS
Two centuries after witch and spurned lover Angelique Bouchar (Eve Green) used her powers to turn him into a vampire, Barnabus Collins (Johnny Depp) escapes from his grave and returns to the family mansion, Collinwood Manor. -
New running focus — from hills to heroes
My nervous cough started on May 7.
Here’s the deal about the cough. It’s a gagging-type, sports-related cough that usually starts the morning of one of my 5ks or other competitive runs. -
That which we call a company, by any other name
With all apologies to Shakespeare, just as a rose would smell as sweet if we called it by another name, one would think that it shouldn’t matter what business owners name their companies. However, as corporate lawyers will attest,
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Editor addresses send-in items
Gerard Butler: the Good, the Bad and the Cannes
At Least 25 Dead in India Train Collision
Raw Video: Private Rocket Blasts Off
Boy to Rescuers: 'Do You Have a Plan?'
Doctors and Devotees Debate Barefoot Running
Blacks Seek to Find Their Own Missing
Houston Museum Unveils $85 Million Dinosaur Hall
Chicago Police: 90 Arrested in NATO Protests
Ex-Rutgers Student Gets 30 Days in Webcam Case
Obama Sees Inspiration in Joplin Graduates
Raw Video: Man Saved After Niagara Falls Plunge
NATO: Afghan Exit 'Irreversible'
Catholic Groups Sue Over Contraception Mandate
4 Arrested After Man's Beating at Dodger Stadium
Investors Slap Facebook 11 Percent Lower
Raw Video: Dramatic 270-Foot Waterfall Rescue
Fingers Do the Fighting at Wrestling Tourney
