A group of volunteers got together and agreed to make an inventory of the missing signs and identified other safety issues. The group consisted of Kymber Harrison, Leo Murphy, Judge Randy Moore, Malinda Allison, and Patti Wolf. They spent considerable time driving the roads of precinct one and taking notes where improvements could be made.
Once areas of interest where identified Ms. Wolf put together a spreadsheet consisting of 47 locations that met the criteria they were evaluating and set up a meeting with TxDot in Paris to see about any help or direction they might be able to furnish for us to complete this type of project. While TxDot was very receptive and willing to help they are a large government agency and as we know the wheels of government tend to move slowly in the public's eye.
Darius Samuels with TxDot Paris has been our point of contact throughout this entire project and he has been great to work with. He sat down with Ms. Wolf multiple times to go over the project and get more clarification on what they were asking for. He identified a source of funds that we might be able to use for a project such as this and has worked with her diligently throughout to bring this project to fruition.
Today, we as a county are being asked to sign an Advance Funding Agreement with TxDot for a Highway Safety Improvement Program Project under the Off-System program. The State of Texas secured $295,564 dollars in funds to handle construction and any associated costs for projects such as this. Our project for our 47 locations in Fannin County Precinct One is estimated to cost $133,905 dollars of which TxDOT will fund with no matching funds needed from the county.
The project will consist of safety improvements to identify T-intersections and blind curves and mark them appropriately whereby the public will have a safer roadway going forward. TxDot will hire a contractor to install all the additional signage throughout precinct one.
This is an example of what can be done with citizens who have an interest in how to improve their community and the willingness to do so. No payment or recognition was expected from these citizens yet they gladly volunteered their time and resources to help in a project that would benefit all the residents of the county.
As a county we have some extremely talented and resourceful people who are willing to help where they can at no cost to the county, we just have to be able to reach out to them and utilize their services.
