Council approves GEDCO amended contract

Gladewater Economic Development Corporation is hard at work on a new prospect, still very much under wraps as Executive Director Michelle Palmer and other stakeholders work with the as-yet unidentified company.
‘Project 227’ was a closed session discussion topic at GEDCO’s June 7 board meeting and appeared on Gladewater City Council members’ agenda two weeks later.
Council member’s entered ‘Executive Session’ at the end of their June 15 meeting, citing standard legal exceptions to the Texas Open Meetings Act including 551.072, deliberation regarding purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property and 551.087, deliberation regarding economic development negotiations.
Returning to the council chambers after their brief closed door discussion that Thursday, the elected officials gave a unanimous green light for GEDCO to move forward with negotiations on the project.
To date, all the parties involved have been understandably tight-loved about the private talks, enabling the economic development to move forward behind the scenes until public disclosure is warranted. Following the Gladewater Mirror for updates when they manifest.
In other GEDCO-related business June 15, the council gave their unanimous sign-off on a second amendment to the economic development corporation’s ongoing Performance Agreement with PMM Products (Premix Marbletite on Commerce Street).
There was a small misinterpretation of classifying the company’s expenses under the agreement, Palmer told council members; that said, while the company had an 8 percent deficit in one category, it exceeded anticipated expenditures by seven times that amount in another.
“I recommended that we just kind of switch the amounts,” Palmer noted, an easy compromise for both PMM and the GEDCO board. “We knew that they were going to have a phased project… They’re going to more than make up for what they missed on the first round.”
Mayor Scott Owens praised the company’s early activity on-site and in other parts of Gladewater.
“Long-term, they look like great community citizens,” he said.
With employees trained, production underway and more developments on the horizon, that’s their aim, Palmer said.
“They came in and said they wanted to be really strong community partners, and they have already consistently shown that in multiple events and ways they’ve been supportive in the community.”
Among a variety of other topics discussed June 15, on the council’s Consent Agenda – items typically considered and voted on with no discussion – the group unanimously-approved the minutes of their meetings on May 18 and June 1 along with an interlocal agreement for the East Texas Council of Governments to continue providing 9-1-1 service through Aug, 31, 2025.
The council members also approved the appointment of Michelle Price to fill a vacant alternate board position on the city’s Planning & Zoning commission. Price is the daughter of Ann Clay, who recently resigned from the commission.
In another agenda item, Scott E. Palmer of PineWay Farm was successful in his request to lease ground space near Gladewater Municipal Airport. Palmer told council members he aims to continue last year’s Farmers Market and needs the leased ground as an additional access point to his property for upcoming activities.
“That did pretty well last year – we’re looking to expand it,” Palmer said. “In the process, we’re looking at how to situate it. We’d like to come in and have some parking for people coming through. Right now, we’re only open Fridays and Saturdays this year, so y’all come out.”
The city will treat the ground space lease as it does private hangars at the airport.