County weighs apparatus needs, inventories roads

The Brewster County Commissioners Court convened a daylong work
session on a far-reaching array of subjects Tuesday, interspersed with
presentations and recognitions.

Among a many heated were an comment of a Road Bridge
Department’s stream and destiny needs, and a investigate of a proposed
digitized map of all county roads.

RB Department arch Frenchie Causey gave a justice a rundown
on apparatus and materials, sketch gasps of awe when he gave
the ages of some machines: The oldest was bought in 1964, and the
newest square is a 2001 backhoe. He described many of a machines
as reliable, with some wanting a few tweaks here and there. He said
the department’s oldest grader, a 1978 model, is “pretty reliable,”
and a 1975 bulldozer isn’t used adequate to clear shopping a new
one.

That was song to commissioners’ ears since they’ve pronounced time and
again in new months that a whole county bill is
tight.

“We have 1997, 1996, 1997 dump trucks; a 1997 H2O truck; the
oldest dump lorry is a 1991,” Causey added. “We have a few
problems, though we keep them running.”

He pronounced he expects smoothness shortly of a well-spoken drum drum with
detachable pad and detachable neck lowboy trailer. Commissioners
Court authorized those purchases a month ago.

Pct. 1 Commissioner Asa “Cookie” Stone and Pct. 3 Commissioner
Ruben Ortega pronounced one object on their RB wish list would be a
semi bottom dump, or “belly dump” tractor-trailer. Those vehicles
can lay element in a linear heap, distinct unchanging dump
trucks.

Stone also pronounced he thinks there’s a need for a county to buy at
least one unstable generator. He cited final spring’s Rock House
Fire that swept by adjacent Jeff Davis County and left
areas though electrical energy for their H2O good pumps.

“We [would] need to keep a siphon going on wells to say a water
supply,” Stone said. “It would be mounted on a trailer” so it could
be used anywhere in Brewster County where a need competence arise.

County Judge Val Beard said, “Cookie has lifted a really good issue.
… This is something to consider about.”

Pct. 2 Commissioner Kathy Killingsworth asked Causey about supplies
of highway material. He pronounced he had minimal material, though it appeared
to be adequate for a time being.

Causey also pronounced his long-term devise for a RB Department
included paving countless roads around Alpine, Terlingua, Study
Butte and Marathon, adding that he wants to also build a road
around a new Emergency Operations Center in Terlingua/Study
Butte.

During a RB assessment, commissioners listened from Roger
Siglin and Ann Moore of a Double Diamond Property Owners
Association, who presented a color-coded map of roads they’d like
to see prioritized as to paving and grading. They concurred the
county’s bill woes, too. Commissioners Court done no promises,
but thanked a skill owners for their work.

When commissioners began to investigate a breeze digitized map of all
Brewster County roads, IT arch Leo Ofenstein mentioned a integrate of
routes designated as county roads – though commissioners pronounced they
weren’t.

Stone pronounced one of a doubtful roads belongs to a City of Alpine,
but a city doesn’t explain it. Stone said, “Just since they don’t
claim it doesn’t meant it’s not theirs.”

Commissioners also remarkable that a Texas Department of
Transportation had designated during slightest one other highway as
Brewster’s, though Stone pronounced that “you’ll never get TxDOT to admit”
it competence have erred.

RB arch Causey – who is as informed as anyone with county
roads – was asked to give his input.

Commissioners took no movement on a map, determining to revisit the
issue Oct. 10.

Before a RB workshop, Causey gave his news on stream and
recent work. He pronounced his crews had usually finished mowing overgrown
pastures and empty lots around a Alpine ISD skill nearby Alpine
Middle School. “We were assisting a city of Alpine” with what could
potentially be a glow hazard, he said. He also pronounced his workers had
wound adult travel projects in Marathon, and bladed roads in a Loma
Del Norte development.

Earlier in a day, Greg Hennington of a Brewster County Tourism
Council gave a grave comment of tourism conditions in a Big
Bend region, though pronounced his classification will press ahead.

“After 4 to 6 years of good [tourist numbers], we’re down,” he
said. “Between a limit issues, fires and drought, we’re off. …
But we’re in good financial shape. … We will continue to pound
away and let people know how good this area is. Our large challenge
is to … titillate a message.”

Hennington pronounced that some people still consider that a Big Bend
region is like U.S.-Mexico problems in other locales. He pronounced one
of a Tourism Council’s aims is to diffuse misconceptions and rumors about
border problems.

The legislature intends to control a marketplace consult most like a one it
commissioned in 2004 from Texas AM University. He pronounced key
questions will be what motivates people to revisit a Big Bend, why
current tourists came here, and identical queries. Surveyors are
expected in a integrate of weeks, and will take about a year to gather
data.

In other action, Commissioners Court:

• Reviewed a county jail’s discretionary comment accounts with
Sheriff Ronny Dodson. He pronounced deduction from auction sales of
abandoned vehicles go into a discretionary account, while an
“abandoned” comment is common with a Drug Enforcement
Administration, Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
and other sovereign agencies. He pronounced if one of his deputies works
with another group on a box that formula in seized money or goods,
the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office gets a share. Those supports are
then used for law coercion purposes, training, drug and gang
education in schools or reserve for community-based
programs.

• Approved a waiver of a bake anathema for Sul Ross State University’s
homecoming chuckwagon cookout on Oct. 28-29. Commissioner Ortega
said Sul Ross folks told him they would hit a Alpine
Volunteer Fire Department for assistance.

• Approved a memo of agreement between Brewster County and
volunteer glow departments per FEMA (Federal Emergency
Management Agency) reimbursements associated to this year’s wildfires.
Judge Beard pronounced when a county gets a FEMA funds, it shares
with a VFDs.

• Approved a five-year agreement with a National Weather Service
for continue radio broadcasting services.

• Approved a waiver of PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) for the
Alpine Housing Authority, something that Commissioners Court
routinely does any year.

• Wished Lisa Dutchover, a county treasurer’s bureau manager,
well on her retirement. Beard pronounced a position will not be filled
immediately; a treasurer’s bureau and Beard will initial consider the
office’s needs.

• Heard Beard titillate anyone who hasn’t seen a 9/11 Memorial on the
Border Patrol drift to revisit a site. She pronounced a artifact is
one of usually dual in a Lone Star State. In that vein, Beard and the
court commended a Border Patrol for constructing the
memorial.

• Accepted A.G. Hayes’ bid for $76,900 for Phase 2 of a South
County septic tank project, that includes 11 systems.

• Commended a Big Bend Arts Council on a work in removing Alpine
recognized as a Designated Cultural District.

• Commended everybody concerned in a West Fest Cabrito and Brisket
Cookoff hold in Marathon for their village involvement.
Commissioner Ortega pronounced a deduction will go to a Marathon
Health Clinic.

• Complained again about how FEMA officials treated Brewster County
officials when a county was perplexing to get answers about
reimbursement associated to a wildfires.

Judge Beard said, “Each group pronounced something opposite as to
what/who qualifies.” She combined that a county had to understanding with
three apart FEMA teams – a initial was nice, though a final group
was done adult of “pretty conceited folks.”