Former Councilmember Dee Cragun poses wearing a jacket bearing the city logo, accompanied by one of her grandsons. Photo taken December 20th, 2023 after Dee’s last city council meeting.
Helen “Dee” Cragun passed away this week. The former City Councilmember is well remembered by family, friends, and community. She was a dedicated and passionate advocate for the city. Our condolences to the Cragun family and loved ones.
During the last city council meeting of 2023, Jim Scholz thanked Cragun for her work and listed some of the many accomplishments during her 26 years on the council. Below is a video from that meeting.
Below are articles that mention Cragun and the many things she was involved in.
Chicken Discussion At City Hall
Mary Hathaway stood up to address the ownership of chickens within Deer Park city limits. There had been flyers posted around town and posts on social media to gather support for the meeting held on July 20th. The room was packed with some people standing in the halls that wanted to be a part of this discussion and hear the response of council members along with city staff. Mayor Tim Verzal has asked Mary Hathaway to represent the group in favor of chickens; she accepted the role with the support of those in attendance who thought it was an eggs-cellent idea.
Watch: Deer Park City Council August 17th
First, a petition for annexation has been submitted to the city for a new housing development. Secondly, the council will be considering banning marijuana-related businesses. Last was regarding preservation costs for city hall and roads that are higher than expected.
Watch: City Council Meeting Sept 7th 2022
Property owners outside of Deer Park have requested the city annex their land into the city limits. Architects have been selected to determine what can be done about the city hall building. Cannabis, law enforcement, and the library park were also topics of discussion.
Communication Key At City Council Meetings
The importance of clear communication was a common theme with a number of topics on the Council’s agenda. Related subjects ranged from how the city conducts surveys to project taskforces and even technology to help citizens with hearing impairments.
Deer Park Prepares For Changing Seasons
As fall arrives the city is preparing for winter and wrapping up fair weather projects. Improvements to the city’s Christmas decorations and additions to the tree-lighting ceremony were also discussed.
Watch: Deer Park City Council Meeting November 2nd 2022
Benefiting from new home construction, property taxes will be going down. Travis Hanson, the school district superintendent, reported on the expected improvements and challenges resulting from the growing population in the area. Plans for airport improvements also moved forward.
