Planning for the Future in the Middle of Tough Times

One of the biggest challenges faced by any community is the necessity to continue planning for the future while in the midst of troubled economic times, particularly when it comes to planning for our children's future. This is especially true when it come to our children's education.

The Granbury ISD Board of Trustees recently moved forward with plans to purchase a ten acre tract of land at the corner of Old Granbury Road and Peck Road for the future construction of an elementary campus. While there are no plans currently being discussed by the School Board relative to the actual construction of a campus, the property is strategically located in an area that has shown steady and sustained residential growth over the past six or seven years.

An elementary campus located in this area would not only provide the local residents with a "neighborhood school," but would also serve to alleviate crowding issues at a number of existing campuses. Clearly this would prove beneficial to a large portion of Granbury ISD patrons.

This is encouraging news in a number of different ways, not the least of which is the fact that younger families with school age children continue to locate in the Granbury area in spite of the recent economic downturn. With the promise of new educational facilities strategically located in the high growth areas, this should continue to make Granbury an attractive area to potential home buyers.

As always there are financial considerations that must factor into any ultimate decision the School Board makes about facilities, and that will effect the timing of future construction, but the long range planning of the school district relative to facilities should reap positive dividends for the greater Granbury area for years to come.



Sincerely,
Micky Shearon

The Lake is Up!

Well I know that every one is tired of the cool weather but, we all have to be grateful for all the rain and how it will effect our lake. We have had a record rainfall and that means the lake is up!As we know Granbury is the place to be in the spring and summer for fun. The boats, the jetskis, the wakeboards and all the various water sports including fishing, really make this community boom. There is nothing like Lake Granbury when the weather is warm. People, tell your friends to plan their vacation time now and take a trip to the lake. They can stay at one of our many beautiful Bed and Breakfasts. While here they can shop, dine and take in a live show on the Historic Square. I am looking forward to seeing all the folks having a good time and enjoying this lovely town as much as I have for the last 20 years.

THE SHACK author William P. Young at TCU

Is God Really This Good? an Evening with William P. Young
One of the age old questions of faith is the character and nature of God, particularly in the face of a world wracked with suffering and pain. In his book, The Shack, William Paul Young imaginatively and creatively answers this question in life-giving ways that challenge rigid concepts of God and what it means to be in right relationship with the divine. Wrapping stories that have emerged from The Shack and from his own life, Paul Young addresses the question of who is this God, really? And who are 'we' to this God?

William Young will be speaking at TCU Ed Landreth Auditorium on February 11, 2010 at 7 PM

For Ticket information www.brite.tcu.edu/shack

Granbury News Week of January 20th

This Week in Granbury

If you have not been downtown recently you are missing all of the construction around the Courthouse. Things are a pretty big mess with all of the drilling for the geothermal system which will heat and cool the Courthouse after the renovations are completed.

The problem the downtown merchants are having is dealing with no parking around the Courthouse and putting up with all the noise and mess. There is still plenty of parking behind the Opera House and a block east of the Square so make sure and visit your favorite store.

I am sure with the recent reports in the paper about the decrease in sales tax revenues, the local merchants are feeling the pinch and the construction is certainly not helping. Also with the reduction in drilling in the Barnett Shale, many of the people that worked in that sector are no longer here, although I certainly do not miss the traffic, they did spend locally with the merchants and especially the restaurants.

So spend local and help the merchants and restaurants, plus the tax dollars will stay in Hood County.

Recent News:

The local War Memorial Waterfall to honor that died in Afghanistan and Iraq has been in the news recently. Seems that the funding has run out for the project and construction is stopped. The project was reported as being about 85 percent complete. The project has been quite an undertaking and will be the centerpiece of park on land donated by a developer in the area.

If you are out west of Granbury on 377, check it out and let’s hope that they are able to obtain the funding necessary to complete the work.

The Good Ole Days!

2010, don’t you love the sound of that!
Time for a change, something new and different - are you ready?
Do you remember “The Good Ole Days? “ Guess what, they are back according to Barbara Corcoran the real estate contributor on NBC’s Today Show and CNBC. Barbara proclaimed on January 3, 2010 that in regard to real estate, these are the good ole days! Lots of housing inventory to choose from, low interest rates, “cheap money” stabilized markets, what are you waiting for! This is the time to buy.

Her advise for buyers is to buy now, within the low, not to try to sharp shoot the market, or wait for the bottom to fall out.
We welcome you to become a regular reader for our blog. We like to share information about opportunities and new upcoming events in Granbury as well as hot topics in real estate. We also welcome your comments

Perspective

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son,

"How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah, " said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added,
"Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation.

"Life is too short and friends are too few."