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The new Texas Bank in Van Alstyne, taken from across West Van Alstyne Parkway (FM 121).

Photos and story by Mary Jane Farmer for Van Alstyne News/Scene In Town

It’s not a new sheriff coming to town — it’s a new bank.

Texas Bank has purchased, is renovating, and will move into what was originally Landmark Bank, then Simmons Bank. Simmons Bank closed it several months ago because it was, apparently, in a small market after they bought Landmark (Bank) out, and “was dropping some of their more rural market banks. It was a good opportunity when it was presented to Texas Star,” Texas Bank’s Michael Marshall said.

A GCEC truck moves through the Texas Bank parking lot after working on the site.

Texas Bank got its start in 1973, according to information provided on its Website, TexasBnk.com. In 1987, they opened a branch in Henderson, and then one in Nacogdoches in 1999. There are branches now in Longview, Tyler, Frisco, and Prosper — the Prosper Bank having merged into the Texas Bank family. They have also opened a second location in Henderson.

And in 2020, the bank began construction on a new branch on White Avenue (FM 455) in Anna, more specifically at 609 Victoria Falls Drive. And, while this building is undergoing construction, the bank is open in Anna, using a temporary facility beside the construction, and which opens on its north side.

And through all this growth, Marshall said, Texas Bank remains a customer-oriented financial institution. The Website added that its Board of Directors “is committed to providing a friendly, full-service financial institution in every community (it) serves.”

Settling into Van Alstyne with its close proximity and close ties in Anna, can only be productive for its customers. “We are more familiar with rural areas that large cities,” Marshall said. He said it is family-based, as they welcome all the growth coming to the area. “We have spoken with the Economic Development Corporation Director (Rodney Williams) and know it is definitely growing up here in this neck of the woods.

“From a bank standpoint, we began and continue to be a family-owned bank, with a different feel that your more corporate (banks). We like to pride ourselves in threating our customers as we like to be treated.” To that extent, there is another bit of construction in Anna sporting a sign depicting Texas Bank as being involved in that construction.

Texas Bank in its temporary building, beside the new construction going on now.

Opening date? “I would say late in this year’s 3^rd quarter or early the 4^th quarter,” Marshall said. Right now, they are coordinating with multiple vendors to get the Van Alstyne operation up and running; getting the signs in the works; and has contractors renovating inside the building; all more in the background than the foreground now.

They, too, have already had numerous banking-knowledgeable people apply for employment with Texas Bank. They have hired Van Alstyne long-time banker Buddy Hayes as Anna’s Texas Bank Branch

Texas Bank, Anna, under construction.

Manager. And that staff, too, is from the area. “We will be hiring locally, quality candidates, as much as we can,” Marshall said.

“We also will be seeing how we can definitely be a community member, getting more involved. I’ve been the Chamber president here locally in Henderson. We definitely like to encourage our banks to being out and about community. As the towns grows, so will the businesses.

More information on what this bank offers can be obtained on its Website. Again, that is TexasBnk.com

Van Alstyne City Hall entrance, photo by Mary Jane Farmer

By Mary Jane Farmer, Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town

Facing a shorter-than-usual meeting agenda and with two council members not in attendance, the Van Alstyne City Council got quite a lot accomplished at Tuesday night’s regular council meeting. The meeting began at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, with council members Katrina Arsenault, Lee Thomas, Ryan Neal, (creating a quorum) and Mayor Jim Atchison in attendance. Absent were Bruce Dawsey and Marla Butler.

After spending about 40 minutes in executive session with financial advisors from Hilltop Securities, the Council returned to open meetings without making any motions regarding their subjects discussed. These were, according to the agenda, future options for road improvements, park land, and a municipal building.

Consent agenda

CORRECTION: Council also approved a resolution creation to allow for a public hearing for May 11, at the regular City Council meeting, to discuss the annexation of land on the northwest corner of State Highway 5 and Spence Road, commonly called the Spence tract, not for the land on east FM121 at Lincoln Park which has already been annexed into the city.

voluntary/requested annexation of more than 34 acres of land into the city. These two new additions are at East FM 121 and North Lincoln Park Road, and at East FM 121 and about 1500 feet east of Ballpark Way. (Atchison said that land was annexed at the March meeting.)

Regular Agenda

Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers, Inc., which has been working with the city for a while on plans for the new Central Social District Park, gave an informational presentation to the Council about the various areas of the park. Later, they approved budget increase of $390,000 to build this park, bring the total to $4,421,000. City Manager Lane Jones said, after the meeting, that this additional funding is “to  bridge the gap between the original estimate to build the park and actual cost determined by totaling bids for the individual elements.”

And even later on, the Council approved a Community Development Corporation budget amendment in which Executive Director Rodney Williams said the $100,000 adjustment will go toward the CSD (downtown) park.

After the meeting, Williams said that this was not an increase in the yearly budget, but rather simply adjustments — less spent here and there to arrive at the $100,000. He also said it is meant for lesser-or non-funded items, such as tables and benches for public use.

The Council approved appointments to the Architectural Review Panel for Maria Hickson-Grimmett, Dusty Williams, and Jim DuBois, and then made volunteer Dee Greve a member of the EDC and CDC boards of directors.

The Council allotted the best bid submitted to work on paving and utilities improvement on Marshall Drive from Hopson to Henry Hynds (U.S. 75 service road.)

And lastly, the Council, acting on information provided by the city’s attorney, declined to re-declare a local state of disaster because of COVID-19 virus outbreak.

All votes were unanimous.

During the period between March 27 and mid-April, Van Alstyne police officers made five arrests, all of which were for either illegal drugs or alcohol abuse; answered 517 calls for service, took 18 police reports and 10 offense reports.

During this same time frame, the Grayson County District Attorney’s Office investigated a theft and arrested the Van Alstyne suspect.

That arrest, according to Grayson County Jail Records, was made on April 5 and was a state jail felony charge of theft between $2,500-$30,000. According to documentation supplied by the D.A.’s office, the offense happened on May 8, 2020. The suspect is accused to taking metal building materials without the owner’s consent.

The suspect posted $7,500 in surety bonds for his release after his book-in April 5.

Police also located a Van Alstyne youth who had been reported as missing and returned him to his home. Police Sergeant Steve Hayslip said they received the call on March 27, with the reporting party saying the teen had run away. Immediately, they entered all the information about him in both the state and national databases and began an intensive search based upon multiple leads they were given, and which included help from other law enforcement agencies. They located the runaway on April 1, unharmed.

Arrests

April 2 — A Van Alstyne woman, age 61, went to jail on a charge of driving while intoxicated. This happened about 1:30 a.m. when officers made contact with a suspicious vehicle in the 100 block of Jefferson. They determined the driver was intoxicated and made the arrest. Bail was set at $1,500, which she posted in surety bonds later the same day.

April 7 — A McKinney man, age 50, was jailed on a charge of possession of a controlled substance. His bail of $10,000 was paid in surety bonds and he was released on April 9. The arresting officer made a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75, and soon discovered the man was in possession of methamphetamine in an amount of between 1-4 grams.

April 7 — That same day, officers jailed an Anna resident, age 46, on a charge of possession of controlled substance between 1-4 grams. Hayslip reported that this happened on U.S. 75, also after making a traffic stop, and that the drug found on him was also meth, between 1-4 grams. Bail was set in this instance at $10,000 and the suspected posted that on Feb. 9.

April 9 —  At about 11:30 a.m., officers responded to a reckless driver call on U.S. 75. The caller told dispatch that he/she had seen the vehicle being driven erratically, weaving in and out of its lane of travel, and constantly changing speeds. Police located the car and stopped the driver. They discovered the driver was intoxicated.

April 12 — It was a reckless driver call that led police to locate the vehicle after it stopped and parked vehicle. Upon contact, they arrested the driver on a charge of not having a valid driver’s license and his passenger for public intoxication. The two suspects were from Dallas and Richardson. The driver laid out his jail fine of $214, and the passenger paid her fine of $292 for her release.

Other

A two-vehicle wreck in the Industrial Park happened on April 10, and Van Alstyne EMS transported both drivers to Baylor Scott & White in McKinney for treatment of minor injuries, Hayslip said.

There were also several other wrecks during this time frame, but none with major injuries, Hayslip added.

Police talked with juveniles who were seen and called as running with a possible long gun (rifle or shotgun). They determined the gun was an air soft gun, described online as “replica toy guns used in airsoft sports.”

Van Alstyne Police answered 449 calls for service during the weeks between March 13 and March 26. Of these, 15 resulted in police reports, nine in offense reports, four in arrests. Two of those arrests were for assault charges, one for public intoxication, the fourth was for drug possession, reported Police Sgt. Steve Hayslip. They also investigated four vehicle crashes, including one that resulted in minor injuries.

Arrests

March 13 — About 10:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to Waverly, the scene of a domestic disturbance between boyfriend and girlfriend, Hayslip said. The investigation determined that the female, age 38, had assaulted the male, but that he did not require or declined medical attention. The suspect went to Grayson County Jail on a charge of assault causing bodily injury-family violence. A magistrate set bail at $2,500, payable in surety bonds, which the suspect paid and gained her release the next day.

March 17—In the early morning hours, at about 2:30 a.m., officers were sent to what Hayslip described as a suspicious circumstance at a convenience store on the west side of U.S. 75. The reporting party said that a man had come inside asking where he could purchase narcotics, and that the female inside their vehicle appeared to have been assaulted.

Upon arrival, police determined that the suspect had, in fact, assaulted his spouse and caused injuries which required medical attention. Van Alstyne EMS took her a local hospital for medical attention. Police placed the suspect under arrest and transported him to Grayson County Jail.

The suspect, a Whitesboro man, age unknown, was jailed on Van Alstyne PD’s charge of assault causing bodily injury-family violence. Law enforcement also served him with an outstanding warrant, issued in Denton County for burglary of a building. Total bail was set at $7,500 on the two charges. The suspect has since been transferred back to the Denton County Jail.

March 21— About 3:45 a.m., officers were called to a disturbance on U.S. 75 just south of Van Alstyne Parkway. They learned, upon arrival, that no physical altercation had occurred, but then determined that a passenger in the vehicle was intoxicated. They jailed the passenger, a Dallas man, on a charge of public intoxication. Once bail was set at the jail at $292, the suspect paid it in cash for his release.

March 26— About 1:45 a.m. Friday, a Van Alstyne police officer stopped a vehicle on U.S. 75 because of speeding. During the course of the traffic stop, Hayslip reported, The officer discovered that the passenger, a Bedford man, age unknown, was in possession of methamphetamine. The officer placed the suspect under arrest on a charge of possession of controlled substance less than 1 gram. Bail was set at $5,000, payable by surety bond, and the suspect was able to pay that and obtain his freedom.