By Jason Clay Jansky

Betty Plant doesn’t have to see the work that’s being done around town to get a good idea of where Runge is heading. For fourteen years, she’s been cataloguing books, helping residents with research, and everything else that goes along with being involved in the public library.

As the library director, she’s been doing something new, here lately: giving out directions.

It’s happening more often, these days. Out-of-towners will stop in the library and ask where they can find a business or a city street.

"We see a whole lot of new people walking in," she said.

The census taken in 2000 showed Runge to be a quiet little rural town with lots of folks familiar with the poverty line. They number around 1,080 people living in 395 households with 289 families residing in the town.

Recently interest both commercial and residential has sparked in the town, according to Runge Mayor Homer Lott. Though it’s small for now, he said, it’s showing growth and improvement in the community.

"There were drug drops here because this all was covered in brush," Lott said while surveying a freshly-mowed area in town where he said a young couple now plans to build a home. "Kids would hang out down here because it was isolated. We’re getting people to buy these places and clean them up."

Vandalism being one of the town’s struggles, Lott said eliminating trouble areas with high grass, dilapidated old buildings, and other hiding places was one of his major concerns as mayor. Getting a new family to move to town in place of the former hazard area, he said, was a nice bonus.

"We’ve got retirees coming in asking for lots. They want to build houses. We’ve got them coming in from all over the place," Lott said.

Riding around in his pickup truck, Lott pointed out many different places in town where change is taking place. The city sewer plant was one major area of development. Located close by the city park, the plant used to be in violation of state sanitation codes. State officials told Lott he’d have to fix the problem by adding a third treatment pond.

Instead, city workers installed aerators to pump oxygen into the existing two ponds. It eliminated the smell, fixed the violations, and saved the city from having to build a third pond. Now, the city has plans to put a baseball field where the third pond would’ve been.

He also pointed out a small spring-fed lake back behind the park and VFW hall. Lott had city workers build a dam using free dirt the town got in an exchange program with a contractor.

Now instead of the water draining away and causing an erosion problem near that end of town, it’s built up into a good-sized, clean fishing area. The place needs some landscape work, and that’s one of the many community improvement projects the town has on its plate.

Meanwhile, residents and business owners are making their own improvements. During his pickup ride around town, Lott pointed out several homeowners that were renovating old buildings.

Church members at Heavenly Gates Family Worship Center were outside busy painting their church’s exterior. Church member Ray Gonzales said he’s noticed some new faces walk into the building on Sundays.

"People from different places, you know?" he said as he and his wife rolled new coats of paint onto the side of the church building.

Church membership overall has been growing for the non-denominational worship center on West Lavaca Street.

Church evangelist Bobby Clarner said growing church membership is a good thing for Runge and classified the town’s faithful as its greatest strength.

"I see that a change is taking place in Runge. I see people getting involved in helping one another out. The greatest strength is the church. I believe it’s the strength of the community. When the churches step up and begin to lift their voice to let the community let them know they’re there … we’ll see the difference," he said.

Clarner was outspoken about believers getting involved not just in the church, but in the lives of the youth in town.

About a third of Runge’s residents are kids. Without local youth-related entertainment spots such as movie theaters and arcades, the youth often get bored. They’re often blamed for trashing things around town several times a year. Recently three 14-year-olds were arrested for causing $10,000 in damage after they broke into the local school.

"I believe that’s one of the greatest obstacles. We need to do something to reach our youth — to get them involved in something. If not, we’re going to begin to see more of what took place at the school," Clarner said.

Lott shares Clarner’s outlook on the youth in town. His strategy is development of city recreational facilities. Volleyball and basketball courts, places to fish, and facilities for organized sports play have been on Lott’s agenda.

The obstacle is always money, but developments are being worked on one step at a time as the city finds room in the budget and as city workers find the time to do the jobs.

Meanwhile, Betty Plant will keep letting visitors know where they can find a good bite to eat around these parts. The progress in town has been a small step, Lott, Clarner, Plant, and others in town say, but it’s a big move in the right direction.