WOODVILLE – With an eye toward the Tyler County of tomorrow, the county’s Commissioners Court approved a resolution in support of the formation for a countywide master plan committee at its regular meeting on Monday morning.
The resolution, which cites a projected statewide population growth of double the current population over the next 50 years and the impact that will have on Tyler County, covers the establishment of a committee called The Tyler County Master Plan Committee (TCMPC) to develop a master plan of 20 years or more to prepare the county for anticipated and projected growth.
Colmesneil resident Steve Pittman spoke to the commissioners and County Judge Milton Powers about the impetus to form the committee and to “make ourselves as ready as possible for changes that will occur.”
Pittman, who, along with Greg Adams, spearheaded the move in 2024 for more transparency around the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s relief route project for Tyler County, and lobbied for the state agency to choose the long-dormant railroad right-of-way as the route option, said he had witnessed cities such as Diboll decline after bypass routes were built. Pittman said it became clear to him that the county needed a plan to help provide a framework and thought process to put the county in “as good a position as possible to grow intelligently with the changes that will occur,” and to avoid a similar fate of cities such as Diboll.
“We are ready to participate and provide a resource to the county to be able to outline what we might do as a county relative to important topics of growth,” Pittman said.
The planning areas, per the resolution, that the committee is focused on providing direction and planning guidance include: the preservation of the character of the county; healthcare; education; housing/development; expanding youth and family oriented entertainment and activities; infrastructure projects and additional outcomes that might be identified.
Pittman said the group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 5 p.m. at Citizens State Bank and is open to anyone who wants to attend.
Judge Powers and Pct. 1 Commissioner Joe Blacksher spoke with Pittman and agreed that the committee was needed to help provide some direction to what the county might do in the future. They also recommended that Pittman consult with Sondra Willams and James Stevens of Tyler County Hospital to possibly participate and to help represent the healthcare sector.
Other Business
During Monday’s meeting, the commissioners also approved the following items of business on the agenda:
