By Alexandra Cannon, Special to the Journal

Limestone County commissioners followed up on the tax-abatement application by Hubbard Wind LLC in their meeting Tuesday, June 23, after hearing from NextEra Energy representatives Melissa Bruni, Brittany Bruce and Trey Hanner.

Judge Richard Duncan reminded the court the project would fall 60% in the northern part of Limestone County and 40% in Hill County. He inquired about the life expectancy of each turbine, and whether or not the county should be concerned about the possibility of this project only spanning 10 years or not reaching its full potential.

Bruni replied their contractual agreement would prevent them from moving on with unfinished business.

“The turbines are 30-year assets, and we do run them

for the life of the contracts. The contracts we go after are typically longer-term contracts, so they usually accept the 20 to 30 years for power of purchase agreement,” Bruni said. “Once the contracts are ending, we will take them down and leave the land in better shape than we found it. There is a decommissioning process.”

Precinct 3 Commissioner Jerry Allen asked about the likelihood of necessity for future turbine rebuilds, to which Bruni responded that while turbines require operation maintenance, complete rebuilds do not occur and it is more common for specific components of the turbine to be replaced as needed.

At the recommendation of Duncan, commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with the project and approve tax abatement.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

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COVID-19 COUNT Global cases 9,263,570; global deaths 477,584; United States cases 2,347,022; U.S. deaths 121,228. Texas cases 122,932; Texas deaths 2236. Limestone County cases 45; Limestone County deaths 1. (coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html) as of June 23, at 7 p.m.

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COMMISH - PG. 6

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PG. 3Young Marines recruite sign-ups

PG. 4

By Skip Leonsports@themexianews.com

The Groesbeck football players missed three months of school and workouts, like the rest of the state, due to

the COVID-19 pandemic.But they put those three

months behind them quickly during the first two weeks of summer workouts that began June 8. The UIL mandated teams could have eight weeks of workouts during the summer leading up to the scheduled start of fall practice on Aug. 3.

Head coach Jerry Bomar said he and his assistants were talking about the team last Friday.

“We feel like this two-week period, all we did was

pick up where we left off,” Bomar said. “We know it’s been three months. Our recall has been great. The effort has been tremendous. Our kids are very excited about playing and our coaches are very excited about their efforts right now.”

The coach said the numbers have ranged from a low of 60 to a high of 73 participants in the summer workouts.

“I’ve been very pleased with our attendance,” Bomar said. “We’ve had consistent

numbers with our older kids. They’re the ones we want to make sure are here. We’ve had a lot of younger kids there, too, which has been a good thing.”

Players are broken up into groups. The workout includes a combination of skills work and conditioning.

“You have an hour period to work on skills,” Bomar said. “We do it by positions. And we have restrictions from the UIL how to do it.”

A Groesbeck football player runs toward the end zone with his teammates after intercepting a pass during a defensive drill at the football field Monday morning. The Goats have been working diligently during summer workouts to prepare for the upcoming season.

Photo by Skip Leon/Groesbeck Journal

Goats eye improvement during summer workouts

Commissioners move forward on wind project; endorse watershed site repair

NextEra Energy representatives, from left, Melissa Bruni, Brittany Bruce, and Trey Hanner respond to several questions by Limestone County Judge Richard Duncan regarding the Hubbard Wind Project during commissioners court meeting Tuesday, June 23.

Photo by Alexandra Cannon

By Alexandra CannonSpecial to the Journal

In addition to discussing transportation during COVID-19 at their regular meeting on Monday, June 15, Groesbeck ISD school board spent an extensive amount of time considering the Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment opportunities in place at the high school. Navarro administrators Jeanette Underwood, Dean of Dual Credit, and Renae Tribble, Director of Dual Credit addressed the board during the ZOOM video conference call to explain changes to the program in recent years, as well as answer questions from board members.

Tribble explained that Navarro works with school districts in five counties and that of the roughly 8,200 total students enrolled at the college, about 40% are dual credit students. She expressed that the dual credit program now offers academic advising for students who take 15 or more credit hours and helps to guide students in their transition into larger colleges and ensure they are fulfilling courses needed for their degree plans beyond the basic or core classes.

Tribble also noted that the college offers a 50% discounted rate for school districts outside of Navarro County that offer the dual credit program, making a three credit hour course cost $242, not including internet fees and book costs. She said some

districts require students to pay but offer reimbursement to those who pass or make certain grades in the dual credit classes, while others pay for the first class or two and require the student to pay for additional courses.

After Tribble’s presentation, Jud Hughes raised the issue of the cost of each class through the dual credit program, inquiring about why Navarro charges considerably more per course than the dual enrollment program with UT On Ramps, which charges $99 per course. Tribble offered no apologies or excuses for the price tag but agreed that their courses did come at a considerable cost. After some discussion Superintendent Dr. James Cowley explained that UT had a slight advantage in their fee structure due to legislative action that subsidized fees.

Next, the board was presented with a report from the Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment Committee, composed of board members Angela Crane and Tiffany Burleson. Crane presented a myriad of statistics and information she had gathered regarding the cost and effectiveness of both programs offered by the district in relation to their goals, such as providing underserved students with the opportunity to try college, providing a variety of classes including core classes, and preparing students for a future comprehensive college experience.

DUAL CREDIT - PG. 4

Groesbeck ISD Dual Credit, Dual Enrollment

Board votes to Keep English Courses with UT OnRamps

GOATS - PG. 4