Page 10 | Jefferson Jimplecute, Jefferson, Texas | August 29, 2019

COMMUNITY NEWS

SHOP JEFFERSONSupport Your Local Businesses!

Gary FortPLUMBING

Licensed Master Plumber#14441

Commercial & Residential

(903) 665-3808

B & C CLEANERS is now serving Jeffersonwith FREE pick-up and delivery!Call us for details @ 903-935-2461

COMPLETe DRY CLEANING& LAUNDRY SERVICES

Bob & Laura King

Bulldog Contractors, LLC

* LICENSED MASTER PLUMBER * LICENSED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR

* LICENSED SEPTIC INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND PUMPING

M 36949 TECL 25804 OS 0030182 INSURED

903.665.2019 SERVING JEFFERSON FOR 35 YEARS

BuildItLikeBulldog.com

110 East Lafayette Street • Jefferson, Texas

Life is full of many ups and downs and the best way to handle things is to plan for them. Brownrigg Insurance can help you plan for your future while making sure you have enough income

to last through the golden years and have the right policies to protect you in tougher times.

Please contact Victor Perot in Jefferson at 903.665.2111Located at:

(903) 601-5019216 N. Polk St.

Jefferson, TX 75657

Behind GG’s

Antiques & Collectables

SPACES AVAILABLE

ALL Kinds ofAutomotive Repair

Monday - Friday, 8a.m. - 5p.m.

103 E. Douglas Street(903) 665-2018

www.LohmansGarage.com

Garage & Wrecker Service, LLC

Williams Collision has been in business since 1990 and takes pride in the excellent quality of service provided to our customers.

Everett & Sherry Williams

For all of your Collision Repair needs callWilliams Collision Center

903-665-3542 • 1989 US Hwy 59 S • Jefferson, Tx 75657 • WilliamsCollision@att.net

109 W. Lafayette Street903.665.2521

CITYDRUG CO.

O L D F A S H I O N E D

Soda Fountain

F U L L L I N E

Pharmacy&

AdvertiseYour Business

HERE!Call

(903) 665-2462for more details.

AdvertiseYour Business

HERE!Call

(903) 665-2462for more details.

Marion County Tax Assessor/Collector Karen Jones.

“I try to get stuff on the courthouse steps,” Haggard said.

Jones agrees with Haggard that often people have stopped paying property taxes on derelict properties. The property then can become the subject of a tax sale.

“We can not do anything if a person is paying taxes on the property,” Jones said. “But if it has been struck off, we can sell and hopefully the new owner will clear the property.”

Jones noted one complication some have encountered.

“When you buy the property, you buy the squatter,” Jones said.

If someone is squatting in the house, the new owner has to get an order from a justice of the peace to evict the unwanted tenant.

Jones also knows not every property sells.

An abandoned house in Pine Harbor where Daniel E. Pierce III, who is wanted on a probation violation charge, is believed to stay was offered for sale at the last tax auction. There were no takers.

“I don’t think we can police that,” Jones said. “I just don’t know what the solution is.”

Cary Roberts with the Texas Association of Counties said local county governments can do more than what many think.

An attorney with the TAC advised Roberts the county attorney can initiate action to remove dilapidated structures that constitute a public nuisance.

Assistant County Attorney Bill Gleason said Wednesday that nuisance complaints have been brought in the past by Northeast Texas Municipal Water District investigators in justice of the peace courts over septic tanks. He was uncertain if a request to have an abandoned structure removed could be initiated by a citizen or must begin with a law officer.

This summer, Jefferson crews have worked to keep lots around abandoned homes mowed, but Haggard makes it clear that he thinks spending $2,000 to level an abandoned home is truly a money pit, even with placing a lien against the property for the expense. County officials do not appear eager to take on the problem.

More on DILAPIDATED, from page 1 8 Historic Sites Welcomed By Texas Historical Commission

AUSTIN, Texas—The portfolio of state historic sites operated by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) is set to expand.

Beginning Sept. 1, 2019, eight historic sites across the state of Texas will transfer to the THC.

Seven of the properties are currently managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). These properties were transferred by the 86th Texas Legislature on the recommendation of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission. The action will allow both the THC and TPWD to improve efficiency by focusing each agency on its core mission—THC’s role as the state historic preservation office, and TPWD’s as steward of the state’s impressive natural resources and hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation attractions.

“Our primary goal as stewards of these sites has always been the preservation of these iconic landmarks for the enjoyment of current and future Texans. We entrust the future care of these notable parks to the capable hands of the THC and know they will continue these high standards of maintenance and operations going forward,” said Carter Smith, Executive Director of TPWD. “TPWD is proud to have been the caretakers of these historic sites for many decades, and we will continue to care for the hundreds of historic buildings, archeological sites, and other cultural resources that exist within state parks and natural areas across Texas.”

TPWD sites transferring to the THC include San Jacinto Monument and Battleground in Harris County; Washington-

on-the-Brazos and Barrington Plantation in Washington County; Kreische Brewery and Monument Hill in Fayette County; Lipantitlán in Nueces County; Fanthorp Inn in Grimes County; and the Port Isabel Lighthouse in Cameron County.

“Texas Parks and Wildlife and their professional staff have done impressive work stewarding these historic places,” said Mark Wolfe, THC Executive Director. “We welcome this challenge to build on their legacy and continue the preservation of these unique sites for new generations of visitors to enjoy. We are pleased that we will be able to work with many of the same staff who have operated and maintained all the transferring sites. We welcome them and these sites to the Texas Historical Commission family.”

Additionally, the 86th Legislature turned management of the Star of the Republic Museum in Washington County (part of the Washington-on-the-Brazos complex) to the THC, effective Jan. 1, 2020. The THC is working with the site’s owner, Blinn College, on management logistics. The THC may assume operation of the museum prior to the beginning of the year.

The addition of the new sites means that the THC now manages 31 state historic sites representing nearly every era of Texas’ storied history—from the legends and culture of the original American Indian inhabitants of Texas, to the epic stories of the state’s revolution and independence, to the humble birthplace of one of the nation’s greatest leaders, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.