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During town hall, Gladewater mayor highlights community improvements Published 5:39 am Thursday, September 3, 2026 GLADEWATER — The city of Gladewater’s goal is S.I.M.P.L.E, said Gladewater Mayor Brandy Flanagan-Shipp: improve the city’s safety, infrastructure, management, parks, livability and economy. Flanagan-Shipp and fellow city leaders held a town hall discussion this week at the Gladewater Former Students Association building to give residents information about how the city is improving those facets of the community. She highlighted the efforts and progress city leaders have made this year and discussed plans they’re working to implement. “We make decisions that protect the community, strengthen core services and prepare Gladewater for responsible growth,” Flanagan-Shipp said. “It’s about ‘Team Gladewater.’ ” Several residents attended the meeting. Here’s an overview of what she discussed. Public safety The city is working to improve its public safety services, notably in its police department. Gladewater officers are increasing their patrol presence, using license plate reader data to apprehend suspects entering the city and increasing their cooperation with other law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes, Flanagan-Shipp said. Traffic stops have increased 60% recently as part of the department’s initiative to reduce reckless driving and make residential areas safer, she said. The department has patrol vehicles that are equipped with automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, which scans the license plates of vehicles to determine if those plates are tied to crimes or investigations. Flanagan-Shipp said those scanners are not the same as the controversial Flock cameras, which are stationary. The department continues to work with state and federal law enforcement agencies to enhance investigations. “Public safety is stronger when residents know officers are present, prepared and personally invested in this community,” Flanagan-Shipp said. The police department also has improved animal welfare in the city. The department is working with animal rescues and animal fosters to care for loose and stray animals. City officials have not taken an animal to the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center recently, which is a cost savings. Police officers also have offered active-shooter response training to schools and organizations, Flanagan-Shipp said. Infrastructure City leaders are working to improve city roads and water infrastructure, but doing so takes time and money. Infrastructure improvements are the council’s No. 1 priority, Flanagan-Shipp said. “We’re like most East Texas cities. We’re behind,” she said. “We need to improve it. We work really hard on always keeping that at the forefront.” Improvements to the city’s water delivery system topped the list of Gladewater infrastructure achievements. Water system repairs throughout the system and at the water treatment plant resulted in the city losing 71 million fewer gallons from January to July 2026 than it lost in 2025, according to data from Flanagan-Shipp. The amount of treated water lost before reaching customers dropped 48%. The city’s water quality has improved as well. Environmental Protection Agency testing showed that the city’s water is largely free of harmful chemicals known as “forever chemicals” in its water. Those chemicals, often referred to as PFAS, can pose health risks and last a long time, hence their moniker. All of the water testing samples conducted showed levels of various chemicals were below the minimum reporting level. “We are really working hard,” Flanagan-Shipp said. In the past year, more than 2,000 feet of water mains were replaced, and more than 600 feet of sewer line were replaced. City staff repaired multiple water leaks as well. Those efforts resulted in fewer water main leaks and made the system more reliable. Notably, the city has not issued any boil-water notices related to water main failures since November 2025, Flanagan-Shipp said. Boil water notices are issued for problems such as major line failures, pressure drops and more. “Everybody should be clapping for that one,” she said. High temperatures have resulted in hotter water entering the city’s water treatment plant, which causes chlorine to dissipate. As a result, water sometimes can take on a dirty odor. City staff flush water lines as needed to improve the smell. Residents who have an issue with their water can report it through the city’s mobile app or by calling city hall at 903-845-2196. Gladewater staff have reduced sewer backups from more than 20 per week to as few as five or six. City street staff repaired more than 3,000 potholes and repaired or replaced five major storm drains. They also fixed city roads in cooperation with crews from the Gregg and Upshur county road and bridge departments. The cost of keeping infrastructure strong is high — and rising. In 2021, repaving a mile of road cost $1.4 million. Today, the cost is $1.8 million, according to data Flanagan-Shipp presented. “It’s not that the money’s being wasted,” she said. “Everything costs a lot more now. We’re having to prioritize, verify and protect essential services.” City leaders will continue to seek grants to help pay for future improvements. Some grants require the city to pay part of the cost of a project, so city leaders have to determine whether they can afford a project even if they receive a grant. “The goal is to make sure progress is funded responsibly and aligned with the priorities that you, as citizens, need and expect,” Flanagan-Shipp said. Management, parks, economy Gladewater leaders said city boards are looking at various projects to enhance community life. The city’s consolidated Parks and Recreation Board — which brought together the Beautification Board and the Lake Gladewater Board — is working on a parks master plan, which lists projects and priorities at city facilities, said Place 7 Councilman Kevin Clark. Those include the addition of pickleball courts, a city dog park expansion and entrance gates for Lake Gladewater. Work is underway on the dog park expansion and gate project. The city will use $150,000 in state grant funding to update playground equipment at the Lake Gladewater park, Clark said. The Parks and Recreation Board aims to partner with the Keep Texas Beautiful program, which provides support for city clean-up projects, Clark said. City leaders also plan to create a new downtown board that would help business owners obtain grants to develop downtown businesses. The board would support downtown revitalization projects, among other tasks. It would bring together business leaders, city officials and the Gladewater Economic Development Corp. Some investors want to turn unused second-story space in downtown buildings into short-term rental spaces, Flanagan-Shipp said. The downtown area needs more water infrastructure and other improvements to accommodate increased business. Flanagan-Shipp said city leaders want ongoing revitalization efforts to continue. “We want downtown to be a place that draws people in, but also that we as residents can go and enjoy,” she said. Flanagan-Shipp said city leaders also are making progress on code enforcement, and she noted a few specific cases where blight was removed. Flanagan-Shipp encouraged Gladewater residents to get involved with city government, serve on boards and speak with city officials about their concerns or ideas for the community. “We want to hear if you’ve got an idea for Gladewater,” she said. “But you’ve always to remember: If you’re gonna bring a problem, you got to be willing to be part of the solution.”