They may call it “crypto” currency but Bitcoin mining was the real thing in Rockdale for 2019.
Two high tech companies are now at the former Alcoa’s Rockdale Operations, issuing in a new era as Milam County pivots from an old industry to a new one.
The year just past also saw health care return to Rockdale, the continuing, and taxpayer-painful, saga of the town replacing its ancient water system and much more.
BITCOIN—At the year’s start some area resident were skeptical of Bitmain’s pledge to convert potrooms in the former Alcoa smelter into cryptocurrency mining centers, the giant company did exactly that.
Bitmain began mining in August and by October held a open house for Milam County leaders to show off the huge facility.
Whinstone to Rockdale in “lightning-strike” manner.
In July, Wired magazine featured a considerably less-than-positive story on the Bitmain project titled “The Hard-Luck Town That Bet on Bitmain—And Lost.”
Whinstone had been looking for a site to construct its own, major, cryptocurrency facility. A company executive read the story.
Company execs came to the next Rockdale City Council meeting. By November Whinstone had broken ground on Alcoa property on what is forecast to become the largest facility of its kind in the world.
HEALTH CARE—
Rockdale began the year reeling from the shutdown of all its health care facilities, including its hospital and both clinics, but hoping for a quick revival of some form of care.
That happened in February as the new Rockdale Medical Clinic opened its doors in the former Rockdale Medical Association building at 602 North Main.
That clinic serves persons ages 12 and older.
The next month, Rockdale Hospital District directors asked CHI-St. Joseph’s/ HealthPoint to consider opening a full-service clinic in a suite at the former Richards Memorial Hospital.
That eventually happened in November but funding the new venture remains problematical.
RHD directors sought a half-cent sales tax which originally went to the hospital but has been collected by the Rockdale Municipal Development District (MDD) for 10 years.
That didn’t happen in 2019, so the district invoked its property-taxing authority. The RHD first said a 16.9-cent property tax would be needed then later announced it would use up virtually all its reserves to set the tax, for its first two years only, at 6.5 cents.
WATER BILLS—There was plenty of “sticker shock” in February when the city council enacted the first in a series of water rate hikes to fund a multi-million-dollar overhaul of Rockdale’s antiquated water system.
Many almost doubled.
The plan kept being refined throughout the year. It originally called for new water treatment facilities but in December the city council accepted a bid to purchase water from Blue Water Systems which doesn’t require treatment.
Blue Water representatives said the water comes from deeper wells and does not require treatment.
At year’s end Rockdale water customers were preparing for another set of rate increases.
(See editorial, page 4A.)
Here’s a month-by-month rundown of some of the year’s biggest stories from The Reporter’s front pages:
JANUARY—A town hall at New Hope Baptist Church revealed the total price tag to fix Rockdale’s water and sewer would be about $63-million....The Rockdale VFD made two high water rescues in less than 10 hours in Brushy Creek flood waters on FM 908.... After months of rumors that it was backing out of its Rockdale plans, Bitmain told The Reporter “we’re staying” with a summer startup envisioned....Margaret and Elias Green were grand marshals for the annual Martin Luther King Day Parade downtown....An entrepreneur came to Coffield Airport for a demonstration of what was termed an “ultra-high-tech” mass transit idea with Rockdale envisioned as the technology hub.
FEBRUARY—Rockdale had a clinic again as Rockdale Medical Clinic opened its door in the former Rockdale Medical Association building....The first water rate hikes to cover part of the massive water rehabilitation project, were okayed by the city council, almost doubling many bills.... Susie Sansom Piper authored her 42nd consecutive Black History Month series for The Reporter. It would be her last. Mrs. Piper passed away in November at age 98....Joah McCaleb was officer of the year and Edward Biehle firefighter of the year as the Rockdale Police Department and Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department held their combined awards night banquet in the KC Hall.
MARCH—A feature film depicting the life of Rockdale native Abby Brannam, former Planned Parenthood official who became an anti-abortion crusader, was released....Stained glass from the fire-destroyed, 19th Century “Wallis House” found a permanent home at the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library....A federal civil rights lawsuit against Milam County law enforcement, elected and medical officials, dropped its listed defendants from 11 to three.... The Rockdale City Council voted to raise its ad valorem tax homestead exemption for those over 65 and disabled from $5,000 to $10,000....An oil pipeline coming across Milam County, plus expanded oil play in the county’s southeast corner were credited with a dramatic rise in sales taxes for the county.... “Speed humps” were okayed for streets around Rockdale parks....Rock-dale Hospital District directors asked CHI-St. Joseph’s to open a new clinic in a suite of the former Richards Memorial Hospital. County commissioners authorized the county to collect needed ad valorem taxes for the new facility.
APRIL—Winners of the annual Rockdale Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet: Pete Rubio III, citizen of the year; Homer Mowdy, outstanding citizen; Milam County Historical Society, organization of the year; Aaron’s, business of the year; Paul and Rita Johnson, outstanding service; Allen Sanders, community achievement; Jennifer Montelongo, ambassador of the year....An EF-0 tornado struck the San Gabriel community, causing extensive damage but inflicting no injuries....Nicole Jones and Edward Barry, two of the four defendants in the 2017 murder of Emily Hacker, issued an “open” plea to the court.... The Rockdale Police Department opened at its new home on the corner of Green and East Cameron (US 79)....More than 125 persons from many congregations attended a “Pray for Rockdale” rally at Tiger Stadium.
MAY—Young student “attorneys” from five high schools in the county dazzled attendees at the first annual Milam County Moot Court competition, held in the courthouse. Winners were Devon Whitsel and Maddy Moody of Rockdale....Rockdale city voters turned in a split decision. Mayor John King was re-elected, out-polling challenger Neil Switkowski. Both incumbent city council members lost, with east ward member Joyce Dalley falling to Michell Larkin and Belinda Hillhouse unseating west ward incumbent Nathan Bland. In the only contested school board race, Amy Ogea Casas won over Jillian McEntarffer.... Reyna Gonzales was valedictorian and Stephani Pantaleon salutatorian of the 102-candidate Rockdale High School graduating class of 2019.
JUNE—Rev. Ken Ansell delivered the commencement speech as the first senior class to receive their diplomas at the new Tiger Stadium marched across its artificial turf....Buildings on the campus of the former Richards Memorial Hospital were declared “out of bankruptcy,” clearing the way for another entity to establish a health care facility in one of the suites....A bid to provide rural water for the city’s overhaul of its water system hinted at—the bidder declined to provide specific information—a possible deal to sell all or part of the former Alcoa’s Rockdale Operations complex....The J. W. Cooke family was honored at Rockdale’s annual homecoming in the Patterson Civic Center....Pearlie Mack was the grand marshal at the annual Juneteenth Parade downtown.... Construction was well under way at the new, 43,400-square-foot Rockdale Estates & Rehabilitation....Rockdale residents got a sneak peek at the downtown sidewalk improvements planned for upcoming years in an open house at the Patterson Civic Center.
JULY—Two entrepreneurs were seeking to bring a hemp industry to town, which they said would result in 50 jobs....Readers of Texas Monthly magazine selected Brett’s Backyard Barbecue of Rockdale as the second best barbecue joint in the state, behind only Snow’s of Lexington, just 18 miles away....After a revision, the Rockdale City Council passed its first ever house numbering ordinances for Rockdale residences and businesses.
AUGUST—Bitmain powered up and began cryptocurrency mining in most of the former potlines in the former smelter at Alcoa’s Rockdale Operations.... With hopes for an election to reclaim all, or some, of the sales tax funds collected by the Rock-dale Municipal District—for use as a revenue stream for the new St. Joseph’s/HealthPoint Clinic in Rockdale—the district said a 16.9-cent ad valorem tax would need to be imposed....The city council was eyeing buyouts for six flood-prone residences along the Ham Branch drainages.... Rockdale residents, in a public hearing to discuss the health care situation, asked hospital district directors not to tax only them in efforts to fund the new clinic. Several asked if an emergency room could be brought to town instead of a clinic...The Rockdale ISD lowered its tax rate four cents....The Rockdale ISD received a ‘B” in its annual “report card” from the state.... Jessica Diehl of North Carolina returned to visit the Rockdale field where she was abandoned as a newborn 38 years previously....A civil lawsuit was filed against the then-owners of a juvenile detention facility in Rock-dale over the 2015 suicide of a 15-year-old girl in 2017....April Jones and Edward Barry, two of the four defendants in the Emily Hacker murder case, received 50-year prison terms each.... Saying they could use district reserves, which could only last two years, the Rockdale Hospital District imposed a 6.5-cent property tax to fund the new clinic.
SEPTEMBER—The City of Rockdale worked out a project list to avoid fines over Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) violations....Recipients of the first Distinguished Alumni awards for Rockdale High School gradates were astronaut Ken Cockrell, physician Dr. John M. Weed III, former State rep. Dr. L. B. Kubiak, educator Dr. Dennis Brooks Sr. and ophthalmologist Dr. Art (Copie) Perry....Milam County Judge Steve Young updated county commissioners on three solar farm projects planned for the area.
OCTOBER—The water was on at Sumuel Park’s much-awaited splash pad....The Rockdale City Council passed up a chance to vote on whether to call an election allowing Rockdale voters to choose between allocating a one-half cent sales tax to the Municipal Development District (which had been collecting it for the past decade) or the Rock-dale Hospital District for use in creating a revenue stream for the new St. Joseph’s/Health-Point clinic in Rockdale....Bit-main held an open house at the former Alcoa smelter. Officials said the cryptocurrency mining facility could eventually grow to 300 megawatts....Highlights of the 2019 Rockdale Fair: All-time record youth livestock auction, $447,315 and all auctions combined, $717,925; cumulative Fair sales total since 1977 surpassed $8-million; Whiteley Boyd named Fair Queen; visits by Miss Texas Chandler Foreman; charter Fair Association member Claude Spence, 91, honored at auction....Property on west US 79 supposedly headed to site of “major retailer” went back on the market as financial deal fell through.
NOVEMBER— CHI-St. Joseph’s/HealthPoint opened a new clinic on the campus of the former Richards Memorial Hospital....Whinstone showed off a site at Alcoa’s Rockdale Operations where construction was under way to build what is eyed as the largest facility of its kind in the world, bringing about 200 jobs to the area....Texas A&M and the Rockdale Hospital District were teaming up on a new concept to return services to communities which had lost their health care...Rockdale Chamber of Commerce held initial Whistle Stop Wine tour with music, food, vendors and, of course, wine.... An auction to begin cleanup of the Thrasher Property on East Cameron Ave., which had been declared an illegal junkyard in court action, raised $76,000 and cleanup began.
DECEMBER—The Rockdale City Council decided to purchase water from Blue Water Systems, rather than construct new water treatments facilities....The final two defendants in the Emily Hacker murder case received sentences, 18 years for John Stewart and 17 for Ashley Wesson-Zawadzke....Brent Hasselbach was named the new principal of Rockdale High School, to replace Tiffany Commerford Whitsel who resigned to accept a position with the Waco ISD....A TxDOT official said it was not yet known, even by the agency, if a new portion of the new Interstate 14 would come through Milam County as the road generally follows US 190.
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