Friday, September 16, 2005

Waller County will hold anti Trans-Texas Corrridor rally

Strayhorn to speak at anti-corridor rally in Hempstead

09/15/2005

Billy Dragoo, Editor
Waller County News Citizen
Copyright 2005

HEMPSTEAD - State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, along with CorridorWatch founders Linda and David Stall, will be speaking at the 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, Citizens for a Better Waller County Rally at the Hempstead High School Football Stadium on Donoho Street, past the High School.

CBWC is fighting the proposed I-69 Trans Texas Corridor project, which if completed as proposed, will cut through the heart of Waller County. The proposed super highway and its utility easements is planned to run across Texas from the Texarkana area to the Mexican border.

Strayhorn, a Republican primary candidate in next year's gubernatorial election and a vocal critic of what she calls the "trans-Texas catastrophe, said, "... you know that Texas property belongs to Texans, not foreign companies.

"We will not sit quietly by and let this governor (Gov. Rick Perry) embark on the most historic land grab in history and cram toll roads down our throats. This is not the Texas way, and it cannot continue. This is the largest land grab in Texas history ... ."

The Stalls are founders of Fayetteville-based Corridor Watch, www.CorridorWatch.com.

One-hundred-seventy-three Texas counties are represented among their members and they are an umbrella organization for a diversity of interest and citizen groups.

At the Citizens for a Better Waller County meeting Sept. 1, Mark Holmes and Lisa Hill of Grimes County informed the group of its impact on their efforts. "If it were not for your efforts here in Waller County, we would never have heard about this project," said Holmes.

According to Hill, a local rancher, their community will be greatly impacted because there are several historical grave yards and family ranches in the pathway of the project.

The next public meeting of the Citizens for a Better Waller County will be in the Hempstead High School auditorium from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15.

The group is joining forces with the Texas Toll Party to sponsor a general session from 5 to 7 p.m. and State Rep. Glenn Hegar is expected to address the audience at this meeting.

The CBWC is asking citizens to attend the various governmental meetings in their areas and ask the officials to take a position on the corridor. The audience was also asked to request the WISD officials to adopt a similar resolution of the Hempstead Independent School District, opposing the corridor. The WISD board met Sept. 12.

CBWC is encouraging residents to submit their public comments on the Interstate 69/Trans-Texas Corridor through: 1) the website at www.keeptexasmoving.org , 2) via mail at P.O. Box 14428, Austin, TX 78761, and 3) toll-free at (866) 554-6989.

For more information on the CBWC call (936) 857-3775 or check the website at www.wallercountycitizens.org.


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