Home Care In Copperas Cove, TX

Cove Leader-Press

The festivities abound for families this month, whether it is to celebrate the spooky season or the season of pumpkin spice.

This Saturday, families can gather at the Copperas Cove Boys and Girls Club Annual Day for Kids Car Show at 206 Laura Street, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be a Scary Skele-bration at the Paintball Course at BLORA (N. Nolan Rd and Liberty Hill Rd) this Saturday, October 14, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. There will be a 5K run, a haunted cabin and carnival style games. Popcorn, cotton candy and beverages will be available for purchase. For more information, visit https://cavazos.armymwr.com/calendar/event/scary-skele-bration/6225594/83274.

Central Texas College is hosting its fall carnival and haunted house on October 20 and 21, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. This event is open to the public. The Trunk or Treat will be that Friday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will also include the screening of Haunted Mansion in the Mayborn Science Theater, Building 152. Tickets for the haunted house are $5 per person. For more information on the event, contact Student Life at 254-526-1258.

The City of Copperas Cove’s Parks and Recreation will be hosting its annual Fall-O-Ween Festival on Saturday, October 28 at City Park from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a costume contest at 6 p.m. at Fester’s Stage. The event includes a trick or treat line with dozens of candy vendors, food trucks and a pop-up market. The cost is $5 for parking. Registration for the costume contest ends on October 27.

Fairview Community Church is hosting a Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 28, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will include a hot dog and chips fundraiser, games, treats, popcorn and more. The event benefits the Fairview Community Soup Kitchen. The church is located at 1202 Veterans Avenue, next to Fairview/Jewell Elementary School.

In Killeen, Familia Ink Tattoos (913 W. Rancier Ave) is hosting a Boooth Walk, which is a family friendly trick or treat event, where the tattoo artists are decorating their booths and handing out candy while they compete for the best Halloween station. This event will be Saturday, October 28, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For families of DOD ID holders, the USO Fort Cavazos is holding a Trunk or Treat in partnership with H-E-B Operation Appreciation on October 27, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Phantom Warrior Stadium on base. This event will include a trunk or treat booth contest, face painting, live music and entertainment, games, prizes and treats, including chopped BBQ sandwiches by H-E-B and H-E-B Creamy Creations ice cream. Register for this event at https://brnw.ch/21wDnm2.

Cove Leader-Press

Dozens of business owners and community members attended the Solar Eclipse Town Hall meeting held Aug. 8 at the Copperas Cove Civic Center.

The town hall meeting featured a presentation by the city’s Community Event Specialist Samantha Martin about what the eclipse is, why it is special and what businesses can expect.

The rarity of being in the path of totality is what will draw crowds to the path of totality.

“An eclipse only happens in one location usually every 375 years, so right here where we’re standing today, it shouldn’t be until another 375 years until we get a total eclipse going right past us again,” Martin said.

According to NASA, the next solar eclipse viewable from the contiguous United States will be August 23, 2044.

“People are going to flock to that path of totality,” Martin said. “People are going to also flock down to Texas because in April, we have the best chance of having the best weather. Up north, it's more anticipated that it's going to be cloudy, bad weather, so travelers are going to come down for the nicer weather, clear skies, hopefully. On top of that, where we are we're seeing a longer duration because it's the beginning of where the moon's shadow was covering the earth.”

Copperas Cove is expected to experience close to four and a half minutes or so of totality.

“People are trying to see it for the longest,” Martin explained. “Everyone in the United States is going to be trying to come to Texas. Obviously, it's easier to travel to Texas than some locations even further south, so we anticipate seeing a lot of visitors into Central Texas.”

Some places have been lucky enough to be in the path more than once: Carbondale, Illinois, for example, was in the path in 2017 and will be again in 2024, Martin said.

As a city that has already been in the path of totality, Carbondale offered a wealth of information for Copperas Cove on what to expect. Carbondale held a one-day festival to commemorate the eclipse and saw approximately 50,000 visitors come to attend and witness the eclipse.

Most visitors came the day before the eclipse, which fell on a Monday, as will the 2024 total eclipse.

Recommendations for businesses include selling eclipse themed merchandise, possibly even eclipse glasses featuring a businesses logo; changing operating hours and days to better suit when the visitors will be active; and especially be prepared for heavy traffic and the impact that will have on employees and deliveries.

Martin shared photos from different locations of the 2017 total solar eclipse that showed the long, long lines of traffic exiting a city after the eclipse finished.

One way businesses or organizations can capitalize on the eclipse is by offering up parking spots. One photo showed parking spots sold for $100 a day.

Currently, the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation will be offering tent camping spots at Rhode Park. The city’s Spring into the Eclipse Festival will take place the weekend of the eclipse at City Park, with vendors, food trucks and entertainment. This festival will kick off on Saturday, April 6, 2024 and end on Monday, April 8, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Cove Life Church will be hosting an event at Kate Street Park.

The Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an eclipse event, which starts in Downtown Copperas Cove on Friday, April 5, with entertainment, live music, guest speakers, food trucks and vendors. Over at Ogletree Gap, the Chamber is overseeing RV and tent camping reservations, which can be made at https://copperascove.com/2024-solar-eclipse/.

Parks and Recreation is also offering local churches or organizations the chance to take advantage of a huge fundraising opportunity through a partnership with the City by hosting an event at either High Chapparal Park, Highland Park, Heritage Park or South Park. Martin explained that there would be certain requirements of organizations or businesses hosting events at these city parks, such as having PortaPotties, waste management, etc., but there would be no fee. The upfront costs associated would be made back through whatever parking or event fees that the organization or business charges. For more information, people are encouraged to contact Ashley Wilson, with Parks and Recreation, at [email protected] or by phone at (254) 542-2719.

One business owner, Denise Zehr, expressed her concerns over whether she and her husband should stay in town or leave town to avoid the hassle.

Martin explained later in the meeting that the idea of all the events is to help ease the crowds.

“One of the goals is that if we do have all these events dispersed out, it's not going to be so overwhelming to have 30,000 people in one place,” she said.

City Councilmember Fred Chavez encouraged people to contact their city council members if they think of an ordinance that might get in the way of an event during that eclipse weekend.

“The city council is going to have to look at ordinances that may have to be adjusted, amended or suspended during that time,” he said. “If something comes to your mind that there is an ordinance that might get in the way of either the commerce or safety or get in the way of fun, let somebody know so that if we can, we'll call King’s X on that day or for that period of time, so that we get the administrivia out of everybody's way. We don't want to make it onerous or harder for you to do this.”

For those who were unable to attend Tuesday’s town hall, there will be another Eclipse Town Hall scheduled for Tuesday, August 29, at 6 p.m. at the Copperas Cove Civic Center.

Cove Leader-Press

With the majority of Coryell County and Central Texas under extreme drought conditions, Copperas Cove Mayor Dan Yancey issued a proclamation on Tuesday that the city’s water customers are now under mandatory Stage 2 water restrictions.

Stage 2 triggering is part of the Brazos River Authority’s (BRA) Drought Contingency Plan. Each city has its own plan, and they differ from city to city.

For Lake Belton, the Stage 2 trigger level is 578.7 feet according to the plan.

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, the level dropped to 578.69 feet.

Water customers are asked to reduce water consumption by at least 15 percent.

Watering the lawn with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems is limited to once a week, in the following schedule, between midnight to 10 a.m. or from 8 p.m. until midnight.

Last Digit of Street Address Ends in -- Designated Watering Day

0 or 1 -- Monday

2 or 3 -- Tuesday

4 or 5 -- Wednesday

6 or 7 -- Thursday

8 or 9 -- Friday

Residents may use a hand-held hose, a faucet filled bucket or watering can of five gallons or less, or drip irrigation system, at any time.

Washing any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of midnight and 10 a.m. and between 8 p.m. and midnight and may be done with a hand-held bucket.

Washing may be done at any time on the immediate premises of a commercial car wash or commercial service station.

The only exception for washing a vehicle is if the health, safety, and welfare of the public is contingent upon frequent vehicle cleansing, such as garbage trucks and vehicles used to transport food and perishables.

Filling indoor or outdoor swimming pools, wading pools, or jacuzzi-type pools is prohibited except on designated watering days.

The use of water from hydrants is limited to firefighting, related activities, or other activities necessary to maintain public health, safety, and welfare, except that use of waste from designated fire hydrants for construction purposes may be allowed under special permit from the City of Copperas Cove.

All restaurants are prohibited from serving water to patrons except upon request of the patron.

Kevin Keller, Director of Public Relations for the City of Copperas Cove, explained why Copperas Cove and other cities have different rules for water conservation.

“Some are asking why Killeen can irrigate two times per week and Copperas Cove only one time per week. The simple answer is that City of Killeen has their own Plan which they follow and we follow ours, as adopted by City Council,” Keller wrote in an email. “One consideration is that BCWCID1 and City of Killeen’s Stage 2 calls for a 10 percent reduction; ours is for 15 percent reduction.

“Additionally, Copperas Cove is essentially at the end of the line for those receiving resources from BCWCID1 so we need to do our part to ensure adequate resources are available.”

He likewise addressed questions about why commercial carwashes may continue to operate.

“While we cannot necessarily confirm all carwashes utilize reclaimed or non-potable water, we do believe that most have that included in part of their system. It’s also important to consider the fact that these are commercial businesses, the owners of which livelihood are dependent on providing services and it would be detrimental to just shut them all down at this point in Stage 2,” Keller said. “Carwash operations are affected in the Stage 4 response during extreme water shortage conditions.”

During Stage 2, restaurants are prohibited from serving water unless patrons request it.

Likewise, nonessential water uses are prohibited to include washing sidewalks, driveways, washing buildings, using water for dust control, and flushing gutters. Filling, refilling, or adding water to a pool or Jacuzzi may be done only during those designated hours and days.

Using water from fire hydrants is limited to firefighting related activities or when necessary to maintain public health, safety and welfare.

Water may be made available from designated hydrants for construction purposes only under a special permit from the City.

Irrigation of golf courses is prohibited, except during designated times and days, unless golf course utilizes a separate water source.

With early voting underway, Election Day inches closer.

In Copperas Cove, four candidates are vying for two races — one for city council and one for the Copperas Cove ISD school board.

All four candidates, including an unopposed candidate for city council, were present for a candidate forum organized by the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau on Oct. 19.

Candidates attending the forum were Jack Smith, incumbent for Copperas Cove City Council Place 7; Latisha Walton, candidate for Copperas Cove City Council Place 7; John Gallen, incumbent for Copperas Cove ISD School Board Place 6; and Carl Smith, candidate for Copperas Cove ISD School Board Place 6.

Vonya Hart, incumbent for City Council Place 6, is unopposed but participated.

Jeff Gorres, unopposed candidate for School Board Place 7, was not present.

All candidates fielded a variety of questions from the Chamber, read by Chamber board president Nancy Nelson.

One of the questions Nelson asked the city council candidates was, “What is the number one project you believe the city of Copperas Cove should make for its citizens?”

Walton, answering first, said sidewalks and a new grocery store.

“I believe sidewalks,” Walton said. “I don’t know if it’s minor or major to anyone ... another thing is maybe a center grocery store towards (FM) 116 or towards Kempner.”

Smith answered next.

“The number one project that the city of Copperas Cove should do is just stay out of the public’s way as far as businesses that want to come to town; help them get here,” Smith said. “Everybody wants a grocery store on the north side of town; that’d be wonderful. Copperas Cove can’t open a grocery store on the north side of town. Some other grocer needs to come say that’s a good place to open a grocery store. And with all the growth out there, I’m sure it’s coming; there’s land out there that’s available.”

Hart, speaking last, said: “I am going to go with Jack Smith over here. There’s just so many projects, like from the Highway 9 turnaround on the north end of town to the trail ... if anyone was watching the City Council meeting from Tuesday, we have some projects going on for KTMPO, so they have some trail stuff going on there; I like that idea.”

School Board

For the school board candidates, one of the questions Nelson asked was, “What issues do you believe your district needs to address in its academic programs and offerings? What changes would you recommend?”

Gallen said Superintendent Joe Burns regularly recommends new courses that the board collectively approves, but the key is teachers.

“The key is you have to have teachers that can teach that — and certified teachers,” Gallen said. “As far as courses, there may be a few more in the public health area that they could to get some other, different certifications. Obviously, in the building trades. But once again, it bois down to you have to have somebody that can teach that and get certified to teach that and then you’re looking at hiring another (full-time employee) ... so you’ve already raised personnel costs and can you afford to do that?”

Smith, speaking second, said he understands that it can be hard to hire certified teachers and recalls a time when there was a push for American sign language and rehab counseling but there was difficulty finding teachers.

“One of the courses that I think would be viable — I think I mentioned it earlier — is maybe drone operations, drone repair, drone surveying — something like that,” Smith said, adding that may not be as viable because of the certifications.

That said, Smith surmised another possibility.

“I do also believe that maybe automotive because that course, if they’re doing it at a certain level, with an ASE-certified person, it could — if the school district manages it somehow — could pay for itself.”

Students wanting to take automotive maintenance classes currently do it through a partnership with Central Texas College.

Charter Amendments

A handful of proposed charter amendments will also appear on the ballot on Nov. 7.

Passage of Proposition A would authorize a compensation increase for the mayor and council members.

Passage of Proposition B would strike language from various sections that is inconsistent with state law.

Passage of Proposition C would require the city attorney to review all contracts as to form prior to their approval and execution.

Passage of Proposition D would require the city’s operating budget be amended as provided for in state law and the rules and policies adopted by the city council.

Passage of Proposition E would amend Article 10 to be consistent with state law.

Voting Dates/Times

Early voting continues through Nov. 3.

The last day to submit an application to vote by mail is Oct. 27.

For those living in the Coryell County portion of the city, early voting can be conducted in person at 508-B Cove Terrace Shopping Center in Copperas Cove or 801 E. Leon St. in Gatesville.

The times for early voting in Coryell County are as follows:

For those living in the Lampasas County side of the city and wanting to vote in either the city council or charter amendment elections, early voting will take place at the Lampasas County Elections Office at 407 S. Pecan St., Suite 102 in Lampasas.

The hours are also:

Election times for Election Day on Nov. 7 are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Locations in Coryell County are:

Locations in Lampasas County are:

Cove Leader-Press

The whole of Coryell County is now under extreme drought conditions.

Since August 2022, the City of Copperas Cove has been under voluntary Stage 1 water conservation and restrictions.

According to the city’s drought contingency plan for Stage 1, residents should be limiting watering their yards and other landscaped areas to two days a week, between the hours of midnight and 10 a.m., and 8 p.m. to midnight.

“Outdoor water use should be limited between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., except when a hand-held hose, a faucet-filled bucket, or a watering can of five (5) gallons or less is used.”

The goal is to achieve a five to 10 percent reduction in the city’s overall daily water demand.

The City of Copperas Cove purchases its water from Bell County Water Control Improvement District No. 1, which pulls water from both Lake Belton and Stillhouse Hollow Lakes, and in turn, sells the water to area cities.

“With current drought conditions we anticipate the possibility of entering Stage 2 later this summer, but nothing confirmed yet,” Kevin Keller, Public Relations Director for the City of Copperas Cove, stated on Tuesday. “Stage 1 includes voluntary conservation measures to encourage the responsible use of water resources. The City encourages all residents to do their part to conserve where they can.”

So far, other cities under Stage 1 also include the cities of Belton and Killeen. The City of Lampasas initiated Stage 2 on July 11.

As of July 20, Lake Belton was 63.5 percent full, with a mean water level of 579.38 feet. Six months ago, Lake Belton was at 65.2 percent capacity. However, one year ago, Lake Belton was at 81.8 percent capacity.

The Brazos River Authority (BRA) protects and watches the water resources of the Brazos River Basin and has five stages of its drought contingency plan.

The trigger for Stage 2 is a level of 578.7 feet at Lake Belton, which is 0.68 feet, or about 8.16 inches lower than the lake level on Thursday.

For Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Lake Georgetown, the Stage 2 drought warning trigger is based on overall water storage, which is 164,789 acre-feet for both bodies of water. The level at Stillhouse was 606.86 feet, and 776.90 feet at Lake Georgetown.

As of Thursday, both reservoirs had a combined acre-footage storage of 170,132, which is 5,343 acre-feet above the Stage 2 threshold.

Should Stage 2 triggering criteria be met, Copperas Cove will have a goal to decrease its daily water demand by 15 percent. The City itself will reduce or discontinue flushing of water mains, reduce or discontinue irrigation of public landscaped areas. However, the use of reclaimed water for non-potable purposes will be allowed.

Stage 2 limits lawn and landscape watering to once a week, with the day depending on the last digit of a resident’s street address, 0 or 1 on Monday, 2 or 3 on Tuesday, 4 or 5 on Wednesday, 6 or 7 on Thursday, 8 or 9 on Friday. As an added measure for Stage 2, washing vehicles is also limited to those same days, as well as limiting filling of pools, and watering golf courses, to those designated days. Vehicle washing should be done with a bucket and hose with a shutoff nozzle that allows for quick rinsing. Vehicle washing at a commercial car wash is permissible at any time.

During Stage 2, restaurants are prohibited from serving water unless patrons request it.

Likewise, nonessential water uses are prohibited to include washing sidewalks, driveways, washing buildings, using water for dust control, and flushing gutters.

Some areas, however, have already entered Stage 3 conservation and restrictions.

Neighboring Kempner Water Supply Corporation customers have been urged to follow Stage 3 restrictions so they do not run out of water. KWSC provides water to some residents who live just outside Copperas Cove, as well as Kempner and the City of Lampasas.

On July 7, the corporation’s General Manager, Bruce Sorenson, announced that Stillhouse Lake, its only source of water, is at a “critically low level” and is dropping one inch every two days.

“When the water level reaches 605 feet elevation, water production at our plant will slow down and (at) 604 feet, production will stop. We are installing an extension in August that will give us a lower intake level and potentially buy us some time. Please be aware that we are not seeing much conservation of water in our system. If the lake level drops to 606 feet elevation, we will be forced to implement stage IV Water Conservation restrictions which are stricter and will not allow you to use your irrigation systems or fill a pool, only hand watering with a bucket will be authorized. Conservation enforcement will include fines for excessive use,” Sorenson said.

The City of Georgetown issued emergency Stage 3 through Sept. 4 for the western side of the city in certain areas.