LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor:

Life can be full of surprises and I got a big one last week, indeed many people were surprised last week. Westwood Convalescent and Rehabilitation Home, commonly referred to as "The Troup Nursing Home" is being closed. After 35+ years of operation, the doors are closing, residents are being relocated and staff is looking for new jobs. Quite a surprise just before Christmas.

The city of Troup is losing a real asset. It is not just that the facility provided jobs and brought money into the local economy, it is losing what is being lost everywhere, a caring personal touch.

The decision to place a loved one in such a facility is agonizing, I know, I just had to make that decision on behalf of my mother. My mother-in-law was in the facility years ago and we would visit her as often as possible. She was always clean and well cared for…I did not look much beyond that.

When I placed mom there, I was able to look beyond the surface and really see what happens at a nursing home. It is more than clean and cared for…in Troup it was that all the staff knew all the residents, it is that when I walked in the door I was greeted by name, it is that our conversations went beyond professional contact…it was more like family.

From my very first conversation with Westwood ("The Nursing Home') I was put at ease. Even tho my circumstances were difficult, I was met with a positive attitude and a willingness to help in any way possible. To say that the entire staff worked with me would be an understatement.

Due to their efforts, my mom is so much better that I ever thought possible.

Now, mom is moved to another facility, one that "Troup" helped me to locate and did all they could to make her transfer possible. I know that Mom is again cared for. I was concerned how the staff was doing and asked Jason Shepeard, the Business Director, he told me that some had found employment at other facilities in the area, others were still looking. I asked about him personally. He told me that he would worry about himself later; right now he had residents to relocate and staff to worry about. That pretty well epitomizes the attitude of the nursing home. They care.

Small towns are known for being friendly, good places to raise a family, safe places in a world that is not always so safe…Westwood reflected that. I am sorry to see them go.

DebraDian Turner Troup

Dear Editor:

The city was attempting to condemn a large portion of my father's (Don Green's) property to run a waterline diagonally across it. Our land is listed for sale commercially, and per our agent, the easement would have made selling impossible. Now Mr. Ronny Fite, city manager, claims our land would never sale commercially as is, and that HE would not allow anyone to build on it if it did. Hmm, a real estate professional eyes it as very lucrative commercial property that can be built upon through regrading and rerouting, as currently, the land is classified floodplain. We all know this, as would the potential buyer, not a secret by any means. You can build on floodplains; it is safely done everyday, even in Whitehouse.

Mr. Fite tried in many ways to get his way with the easement, without following due process or common courtesy in my opinion, or in the council's opinion. He never notified my father of the potential easement prior to it going to council, and he sent appraisers and surveyors onto our land without notice. He needs to remember who he works for. Our city council needs to read into what he proposes very thoroughly, as Mr. Mike Adams (city councilman) said himself Tuesday night, Whitehouse needs to stop using backdoor politics in the manner it handles business. Currently, our city council allows it to take place. At the previous council meeting, Mr. Fite presented the council with the idea to run the easement across our land, apparently leading them to believe it was the only option, and the motion was passed. As more than one councilman stated tonight, they were very displeased about not knowing other alternatives existed, and displeased at Mr. Fite's lack of communication to my Father.

The council learned tonight from us, the route Mr. Fite was pushing was one of three very viable options. The most direct and shortest was ignored by Mr. Fite. He told the council the neighboring landowner said "no" to running the easement between his land and ours, which was false, as Mr. Kenneth Moody said no such verbage had occurred. For whatever reason, Mr. Fite decided he was going to condemn citizen property, and was not going to consider any other obvious, cheaper, or upstanding options. Backdoor, bully politics at its finest. He even proceeded with running the water lines from the new well the opposite direction prior to settling the issue with us or the city council. He ran the lines down Lilly Rd. straight towards us and stopped at our gate about a week prior to the meeting.

But thanks to: Mr. Adams seeing the huge flaw in Mr. Fite's plans after viewing our property first-hand; thanks to my father for speaking up to the council in length; and thanks to input from Mr. Hank Gilbert (president of Walnut Grove Water District), the council reversed their decision on condemning our property. Further explaining to Mr. Fite that the last thing they should do is condemn a citizen's property.

In our case, condemnation was no where near the only option. He could have taken the short route, but it was ignored. He could have taken the route the council passed tonight, as it costs slightly more, but requires no easements or condemnations of citizen property. I think our city council needs to wake up and watch every move Mr. Fite and crew make. He shows and tells you what he wants you to hear and see, as he continues to do as he pleases with our city, and with our tax dollars.

We should not even be running water lines or drilling wells. The City of Tyler offered a 25-year contract for $2.23 per 1000 gallons. Some cities our size pay over $3 for the same amount. Why waste millions of taxpayer dollars on a useless and unnecessary project? We as a small city do not need to have independence in water, it is too expensive and unreliable when the City of Tyler's reputation and strength in maintaining and providing quality water stands before us. It is another Ronny Fite idea, one that he is determined to see through, just as he tried to do to my Father's land. And one that would have occurred had it not been for our determination to present the real facts to the council. Watch out city council, we could tell tonight, you have doubts in Mr. Fite's actions. And rightfully so.

Matt Green Whitehouse