BY JERRIE WHITELEY

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Grayson County commissioners decided Monday to help the boot camp pay for longer lasting roofing material. They also praised Commissioner Gene Short for his work on the SH 289 project, and listened to details about a new training class starting Tuesday.

Bill Bristow, director of the Cooke, Fannin and Grayson County Juvenile Boot Camp, had a couple of weeks ago asked commissioners to accept bids for a new shingled roof for two buildings at the facility. He submitted insurance paperwork that showed the materials would be covered by the claim. At that time, commissioners questioned buying a shingled roof when a metal one would last much longer. They asked staff to find out if Bristow would be willing to split the cost of the better roof with the county.

Bristow said the county would have to front the money for the roof and wait until the spring to be paid back the Boot Camp's part. Even though they had asked Bristow to come up with the extra money for the metal roof, some of the commissioners acted like they weren't behind the idea.

In the end, commissioners agreed to allow the county to pay up to $30,000 for metal roofing for two buildings. Bristow's department will pay a similar amount and insurance proceeds will kick in around $45,000.

Commissioners also approved a letter to the Texas Department of Transportation, agreeing that the construction on the extension of State Highway 289 is "substantially complete," and praised Short for his work on the project that extends State Highway 289 from State Highway 56 near Southmayd to FM 120 in Pottsboro. The state of Texas has promised the county $85 million in pass-through toll payments to help fund the expansion. The arrangement will allow the state to repay the county for costs of building the extension based on the number of cars using that portion of the roadway. County commissioners sold $63 million in bonds to finance the project until the state starts making the toll payments.

"Gene, I know that is a weight lifted off of your shoulders," said Grayson County Judge Drue Bynum about the substantial completion of the project. Short said there are still 39 items that have to be completed on the project, but some of them are very minor.

In addition, commissioners heard from Sarah Somers, the county's emergency manager, about a new round of training set to start Tuesday. Somers said training for a new class of Community Emergency Response Teams starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Grayson County Courthouse.

"Some participants simply complete the training to work on skills and preparedness for their families or workplaces, with no desire to serve in a team environment. Others sign up for the opportunity to serve as volunteers with like-minded, Grayson County residents. Whatever your motivation, you are welcome," Somers said.