WOODVILLE – Sometimes life gets a little stressful, and in the words of Tyler County Treasurer Leann Monk, “you got to take a walk…and step away.”
Monk spoke before the Tyler County Commissioners Court on Monday morning about a proposal to utilize part of the courthouse grounds as an area to promote mental health and wellbeing. The area, upon which the old domino shack sat, will be part of the project, which commissioners are calling a “beautification walkway.”
The route will extend around the courthouse, using the current sidewalk, and Monk said that by offering the court yard to visitors “who just need a minute to have a moment of reflection” is a good use of the funds available.
The county’s participation in the Healthy Counties Program, an initiative set forth through the Texas Association of Counties, is where the funding to make minimal changes to the area, such as planting new plants, comes from.
County voices support for THRIVE program
The county commissioners voted to approve a letter of support for the THRIVE program, spearheaded by the Tyler County Development Foundation. THRIVE, an acronym standing for Tyler County Hub for Resilience, Innovation, and Vision Empowerment, is looking to create a center to offer continuing adult education to county residents.
Tyler County Judge Milton Powers spoke of the plans for the program, to which longtime educator Glen Conner was named director, and said it is needed in the area. Powers said the program will offer a variety of programs that can strengthen the local workforce pipeline, including GED and CDL classes.
The letter approved by the commissioners is addressed to the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, toward a goal of grant funding for the program.
The THRIVE program was established to address several challenges facing the local workforce, including skill gaps in the workforce and limited access to continuing education and credentialing programs.
