Friday's Internet Edition, July 04, 2008.
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| At Project 7 Room opening.... Beth Nobles, Texas Mountain Trail Regional Coordinator, Robert Stuckey, Clark Hotel Historical Museum, and Andrea Ramirez of AdventGX were among those who attended last Saturday’s grand opening of the Project 7 Room. |
- Last Saturday Van Horn’s Project 7 Room went from the talk stage to reality. The room, located next to the Clark Hotel Historical Museum, is the focal place in town for folks to view the visions for Van Horn.
Just a little over a week before last Saturday, the Project 7 Room was a tiny, dirty, unfinished, unoccupied room of the Clark Hotel. However, in that time, Van Horn Economic Development Executive Director Jeff McCoy almost single-handedly turned it into the vibrant, viable, visible room it is today.
Assisted by AdventGX personnel, the Project 7 Room has been transformed into a place where the dreams and visions for our town can be viewed by all, and especially those who contributed to those dreams and visions over the last couple of years.
In the Project 7 Room, visitors will see portrayals of what the Main Street Historical District could look like as the Texas Historical Commission has produced what the buildings could actually be turned into.
On the walls, you will see what the entrances to town could look like. What our streets and roads could look like. What new signage would look like all over town. And, what plants will do for our community. All these displays were put together for the town by the Texas Engineering Extension Service.
One can also view some of the handiwork of the Porral Woodworking Consortium, soon to be one of the tenants at the Willis Building Entrepreneur Incubator Center.
You will see what the Texas Mountain Trail has become and how Van Horn benefits from it, and you can share in the vision to someday rebuild the old County Courthouse and the Castle.
During last Saturdays grand opening of the Project 7 Room, one visitor told Jeff McCoy, AdventGX’s Jose Quintana, Texas Engineering Extension Service’s Joan Quintana, and Van Horn Economic Development Corporation President Larry Simpson that, “You’re definitely on the right track here.”
That visitor was Frank Cahoon, a Midland historical preservation proponent and foundation director for several significant fund raising foundations. Cahoon is well known and respected across the state for his efforts on behalf of historical preservation and economic development.
Cahoon, also a former state representative, told those named above that, “Van Horn can be proud of what has been assembled here and can expect great things to happen in the years ahead. You obviously have assembled a team of visionaries that can and will see these hopes and aspirations through to completion.”
Before departing, Cahoon told those assembled “You can count on my assistance whereever possible to help see these ideas through!”
If you would like to tour the Project 7 Room when it is not open, please give Jeff McCoy a call and he’ll be glad to give you a private tour of our future.
Trustees hire staffers, accept resignations
School District trustees met week before last and again Tuesday evening for the express purpose of hiring staffers for the coming school year and also to accept resignations from staffers.
The district has filled the majority of the vacant teaching and coaching slots with the start up of classes just a little over a month away. There are, however, some slots yet to fill and there may well be some juggling of teachers within the campuses before things are finalized for the school year.
Resignations, however, seemed to get onlookers attention. In the meeting week before last, trustees accepted the resignation of Superintendent Anne Pemberton. The resignation, however, is not effective until the end of her contract which extends to June 30, 2008.
At Tuesday evening’s meeting, trustees seemed a bit shocked to receive a letter of resignation from High School Principal Merle Dunn. Dunn resigned effective Friday, July 13th.
Following a nearly three hour behind closed doors session, trustees accepted Dunn’s resignation as well as those of Javier and Cynthia Martinez.
With regard to other items considered during the Tuesday meeting, trustees requested department heads to submit their proposed budget requirements so that trustees will have them on hand for a budget work session to be held later this month or early next month.
Trustees also reviewed a report on comparable teacher and staff salaries that was prepared for them by the Texas Association of School Boards. While the analysis showed our district below the median for those compared, the district was above both Alpine and Marfa.
After agreeing to seek superintendent search proposals, they adjourned.