George Washington Painting Presented to Houston County
Houston County Courier -  December 2009

CROCKETT - Representatives of two area chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution conducted an impressive ceremony during the Tuesday, Sec. 8 meeting of the Houston County Commissioners Court. 
Funded by an anonymous gift from a member of the Colonel George Dashiell Chapter of DAR of Normangee, a beautiful framed print of the painting entitled “Prayer at Valley Forge” was presented to commissioners for public display.
Representatives of the Major Jarrell Beasley Chapter of Crockett joined their counterparts in the ceremony.  “Prayer at Valley Forge,” by Arnold Friberg, depicts George Washington with his horse at Valley Forge, kneeling in the snow and praying. 
Representing the DAR were Mae Bruce, Shirley Bland and Neva Jo Brooks from the Colonel George Dashiell Chapter, and Sherry Culp, Wanda Siems and Jeanne McLeod from the Major Jarrell Beasley Chapter.
“We thank you for this beautiful gift,” said Houston County Judge Lonnie Hunt. 
“It is impressive to see our nation’s first president bowing and praying to God Almighty.  It is obvious that Divine guidance played a role in the founding of this nation.  Hopefully this painting will inspire us to continue to seek that blessing and guidance as we face many significant challenges today.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners approved a five-year tax abatement agreement with Houston County Medical Investors, LLC, which plans to construct a new surgery center just off of East Houston Avenue in Crockett. 
Tim Culp, executive director of the Crockett Economic Development Corporation, told commissioners that the Crockett City Council had approved a reinvestment zone for the property at its meeting Monday night.
Culp said the project represented an initial investment of $4.2 million to construct and equip a 13,000 square foot facility which would employ approximately 14 persons at its opening. 
The five-year abatement agreement means the owners will receive a 75 percent discount on their county property taxes during the first year, a 50 percent discount in years two and three, and a 25 percent discount in years four and five.
Commissioners approved the purchase of three automated external defibrillators.  The devices will be installed at the courthouse annex building, and county jail at a cost not to exceed $1,600 each. 
An AED is a small, portable device that analyzes the heart’s rhythm for any abnormalities and, if necessary, directs the rescuer to deliver an electrical shock to the heart of someone suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.
“Hopefully we will never have to use these,” Judge Hunt noted.  “However, we have recently seen an instance where an AED at the school in Lovelady was used to save a person’s life.  We want to have this same capability in our county facilities if it is ever needed.”
Commissioners heard a report from George Crowson Jr., representing the Houston County Emergency Services District No. 2.  He presented the county with a copy of the ESD’s outside audit.  He reported that in the first two years of the ESD’s existence, the board has concentrated mainly on funding basic safety needs for the fire departments it supports.  As they move into their third year, he said the focus is shifting more toward updating equipment.
In addition to Crowson, other members of the ESD No. 2 board include Mike Goolsby, John Morgan, Bobby Hutchison and Julia Marietta.
In other business, commissioners authorized Lucas Roofing to do repairs to the roof on the courthouse annex building at a cost of $4,895  and authorized the sheriff’s office to proceed with solicitation of bids to purchase three new four-door pickups at a total cost including emergency equipment not to exceed $101,822.

Commissioners also authorized the sheriff’s office to apply for a grant under the Violence Against Women Recovery Act which, if approved, would fund one new employee and a vehicle at no cost to the county.
The salary of William G. Williams, a new part time employee in Road and Bridge Precinct 2 was approved as was a request from Road and Bridge Precinct 1 to declare a Caterpillar 140G as surplus equipment and offer it for sale through the Auctioneer Express online auction service.