The new year has already brought some changes subtle and significant to the landscape in Spur and Dickens County, from a newly groomed Rickels Park to progress on the Lucee’s (former Partners Convenience Store) in Dickens, to the huge Helios phase 2 expansion in Afton—but more is on the horizon.
Tops on the list will be school board and city council elections this spring.
While few incumbents and no new candidates have yet stepped forward, the last day to file is coming up quickly (February 14).
But one change is already in the works, and it’s a big one: after a decade as Spur’s mayor, Louise Jones has said she won’t run again. The need to concentrate on her health is paramount, she told The Texas Spur. Jones has overseen major shifts in the community’s industrial prospects in that time, and management of future progress as well as repair of existing infrastructure will be top jobs for the next mayor.
Spur codes officer Barry Ferguson also tendered his resignation last week. Ferguson told The Texas Spur he’s already relocated out of town; he has offered to come back one day a week for continuity and training as needed. It’s a bigger job than many realize, in our opinion, and Ferguson’s keen attention to it has helped Spur get a handle on a deteriorating built environment and systematic planning for future growth.
City council member Elaine Harris, Place 1, who has brought to the post useful insights from financial and legal perspectives, announced her resignation a few weeks early, during last week’s council meeting. Jones said that given the short time until elections, the city does not plan to appoint anyone to fill the vacancy.
New demands for housing; management of commercial districts; technical matters such as utilities, taxes, and regulations; and relationships with major industry as well as local boosters will call for diplomacy and a commitment to learning — in small-city government where the material rewards are few.
Already in this week’s Texas Spur, readers will notice the fruits of the city council’s recent actions in tandem with a city attorney who’s bringing a fresh eye to the job. Pay close attention to the drought contingency plan published in this issue, for starters.
Elsewhere in the county, if you’ve watched recent initiatives from the White House concerning data center buildouts — starting with the first Stargate project to be announced, right down the road in Abilene — you know that we’re already ahead of the curve. Word is that Galaxy’s expansion will bring new jobs and new housing units, developments that will also call for a warm welcome to newcomers.
In mid-January the Spur Area Chamber of Commerce board held a strategy session for the coming year’s initiatives. An updated website to offer more thorough information about all area businesses and assets; a map of businesses and sites of interest; and a continuation of successful events throughout the year are on the horizon.
Continue to follow The Texas Spur weekly, as candidates announce their intentions. Perhaps you’ll decide to be among them.
GALAXY DIGITAL’S HELIOS EXPANSION is under way west of Afton, in northern Dickens County. The Helios plant has already converted part of its digital computingpowertodata-centerusage,andartificial intelligence–based processing has been announced asthepurposefortheexpansion. | THETEXASSPUR
