P&Z meeting is postponed
Southeast Oil Field Service wants to build corporate office

A planning and zoning commission meeting scheduled Tuesday during the Rusk Christmas parade was postponed due to the lack of a quorum.

The meeting will likely be scheduled Jan. 8, 2008 to consider a request for a zone change from residential to general business on property owned by Ike and Norma Daniel.

The Daniels are in the process of selling the Ike's Feed Mill property, located in an area bordered by U.S. Highway 69 S and Copeland Street. Most of the property is already zoned general business.

Neighbors on Copeland and Fifth streets have objected to the zone change. There are two homes with historical markers and the Footbridge Park located in that area.

Randal Jinkins, who is one of three partners of the Southeast Oil Field Service, met with several of the property owners last week. "Everyone left the meeting without reaching an agreement," Mr. Jinkins said.

Southeast Oil Field Service is currently located outside the city limits of Rusk.

Mr. Jinkins and his partners, Cody Helm and John Martin, want to move their business to the site.

Their business is an oil field service and they do not mix or store chemicals on the site. The property will be used to park trucks.

"We will put up a six foot fence with security

boards. We will plant red tip shrubs. This will not be an eye sore. We have a yard outside town and it is kept clean and neat," he said.

"We plan (to do) in excess of $20,000 in improvement to the property in our efforts to be a good neighbor," Mr. Jinkins said. "The company employs 30 persons and they all live in Rusk. They shop here and pay taxes.

"If we had been located within the city limits last year the city would have collected more than $20,000 in its halfcent sales tax.

"Payroll for Southeast Oil Field Service is more than $700,000," he said.