CLARKSVILLE — Red River County is officially on record as opposed to the creation of Marvin Nichols Reservoir. The commission voted 4-1 in favor of a resolution opposing the proposed man-made lake at Monday’s meeting in the Red River County Annex, after hearing several speakers against the reservoir.
Cathy Marable, who said she loves Clarksville and the time she lived in the county, said she was there to speak about all the wrongs the reservoir would bring to the county.
“It is going to take up 103 square miles,” said Marable, who now lives in the Dallas area. “Why do they need to come drown our hardwoods?”
She said Dallas area residents are wasting the water they have access to now. She cited studies that have been presented at meetings she has attended on the proposed reservoir that point to leakage in Dallas area residential swimming pools. She said they should address that and there are other ways for them to get water.
“My family has owned land for seven generations,” said Ed Belcher, who lives east of Bogata in Cuthand. “I stand to lose land on my mother’s side, land on my dad’s side. Everything we own.
“I probably won’t be here, but my kids and grandkids will. Where will they go? We don’t want to lose it,” he said.
He said he was not interested in the federal government buying his land for the reservoir.
“My land is not for sale at any price,” he said.
Craig Eudy said he has seen first hand how water is wasted in the Dallas area and Red River should not have to give up land for a water source for the Dallas area.
“It would inundate one of the best school districts we have,” Eudy said of Rivercrest ISD.
County Judge L.D. Williamson defended the plan as it stands now for Marvin Nichols Reservoir. He said it was a win for the county as the water from it would come at no expense to the Red River County. He said the lake could potentially bring in more residents and tourists to the area.
“Property values will increase, the tax base will increase,” he said. “I, for one, am for Marvin Nichols because it would mean so much to Red River County.”
In other business, Clifton Brown, operations manager of Life-Net, showed the commissioner how the Lucas 3 Chest Compression System that the county bought for EMTs works.
“Humans tend to tire out, this does not,” he said of the device that is designed to give continuous compression to those with sudden cardiac arrest.
“This battery will last 45 minutes,” he said, noting that it can also be plugged into an electrical outlet.
“There have been people on this for four and a half hours and survived,” he said.
The commissioners also approved a resolution for a joint primary election in 2022.
David Money is the assistant managing editor for The Paris News. He can be reached at 903-785-6964 or david.money@theparisnews.com.
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