TYLER, Texas — The word is out folks -- Smith County and the city of Tyler are very special places.
Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said a lot of positive things to say during his State of the County luncheon speech Tuesday afternoon.
With the theme of “Breaking Ground,” Franklin gave updates on the status of the county's many building projects, including the parking garage and a record number of county roads being reconstructed. Attendees also got to see a digital tour of the inside of the future Smith County Courthouse.
He added the nearly 20% population growth since 2010 has the county moving toward many exciting things, such as progress at the Tyler Interstate Commerce Park, an over 400-acre business park for businesses to plant their manufacturing and distribution facilities.
"The industrial park at Highway 155 and I-20, it’s huge for us," Franklin said. "I have the anchor tenant, but then there’s worlds of other tenants that are wanting to come in."
Smith County commissioners contributed $5 million worth of American Rescue Plan Act to fund a new roadway to serve the Tyler Interstate Commerce Park.
Franklin finished the presentation with a patriotic plea for everybody in the county to respect each other’s opinions and to work together to get along to keep Smith County the special place that it is.