Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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| Introducing.... Dr. Guillermo Mancha, Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District’s new superintendent. Dr. Mancha assumed the reins of the district on Monday of this week and hit the ground running. He spent most of Monday visiting campuses, classrooms, faculty and students. Then on Tuesday, he paused long enough for this photo in front of the reconditioned Eagle, before heading off to meetings with interim Fred Liner for most of the day. Dr. Mancha is pleased to be here and is eager to meet parents, students and community members to enlist their support for all his goals and objectives for our school district. Welcome aboard, Dr. Mancha! |
- Culberson County commissioners, at their regular meeting Monday morning, adopted a resolution to submit a grant application to the Texas Department of Transportation.
The grant application will be for some $332,000 from the TxDOT Border Colonias program which provides funds to rural areas to improve streets.
The county hopes to utilize these funds to pave 9th Street out to Clark Field baseball park and then do some other streets to the extent that the funds will allow.
The application must be submitted by March 31st.
While commissioners were acting on grant matters, they also approved formally entering into a non-competitive negotiation agreement with a contractor to build the Phase II basketball court structure at the Youth Activities Center.
This was necessitated by the fact that no body had bid the project where the bids were within the available grant funds. What, in essence, will happen is that the new contractor will build the foundation and shell of the building and some of the electrical.
The county will attempt to get another grant to finish up the interior of the facility, which will be built adjacent to the existing Youth Activities Center.
And, commissioners held a public hearing for a Rural Development Community Facilities Grant Application which they hope will be approved and give them the funds to finish up the basketball facility.
Before leaving grant matters, commissioners also passed a resolution declaring April 2008 as Fair Housing Month, a requirement to receive grant monies.
Gary Fuentes, representing the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Chanley Turner, representing the Highpoint Soil and Water Conservation District, appeared before commissioners to ask them to approve continuation of the Watershed Dams and Diversion Operation and Maintenance Plan.
Fuentes took the court that the agreement was entered in 1982 and the plan continues to be a pretty good one. He noted that the dams were built back in 1984 and 1985 and that the plan calls for the county, as a co-sponsor, to provide the maintenance of the dams and diversion.
Fuentes asked commissioners to approve of the plan and make any changes by calling his office.
Commissioners approved the plan.
Commissioners then proceeded to hold a initial public hearing on a proposed Texas Community Development Program grant application from the Texas Capital Infrastructure Fund.
Jeff McCoy, executive director of the Van Horn Economic Development Corporation and Vance Cottrell, representing Royal Farms, were on hand to explain the grant request.
Under the terms of the grant, which had previously been approved by commissioners but was not funded, the County would apply for a $75,000 grant to extend electrical lines to Royal Farms. Royal Farms would indemnify the county with a irrevocable letter of credit during the 3 year term of the grant.
Royal Farms intends to expend more than $600,000 for the total project and would create a minimum of 3 jobs.
Commissioners tentatively approved of the project and will hold a final hearing on the project later this month at which time they will formally adopt a resolution to proceed with the application.
With regard to other matters considered by commissioners during the Monday meeting, the following actions were taken:
* Heard a request from Lucy and Lulu Ortega to purchase a cemetery lot in the old part of the county cemetery. Commissioners, after explaining that the old lots were not well plotted and even though there are not names on the lots, there have been remains found. Accordingly, they told the ladies that they would seek legal advice and get back with them by next month.
* Commissioners approved entering into an agreement with the Linebarger law firm, the same firm that collects delinquent taxes, to collect delinquent traffic fines and costs for the local Justices of the Peace, Precinct 1 office.
* They discussed needed repairs to the Mental Health Mental Retardation building. The repairs are needed now that the state is paying rent on the space. Mingo Corralez was present to advice the court on what needs to be done. Corralez reported that it needed rain gutters, flooring, and a roof. Commissioners asked him to get estimates for the work and bring back to the court.
* Commissioners also talked about the need for an inter-local agreement with the city since they have asked for county help building the new water line from the airport into town. Attorney Steve Mitchell will prepare an agreement if one is needed.
* Auditor Mark Cabezuela asked commissioners to approve moving $400 from Constable, Precinct 1 fuel into Constable, Precinct 2 fuel to cover shortfalls in that line item.
At the same time, he asked commissioners to approve a resolution to apply for some additional grant funding for the Senior Citizen Nutrition Center, which they did.
After providing some continuing education hours for himself, Cabezuela asked commissioners to consider a plan for what to do about the sheriff’s department comp time since several folks have accumulated a lot of it. Commissioners asked Cabezuela to provide them with a recommendation.
And, after holding an executive session on personnel matters, commissioners voted to approved the salaries as recommended by Auditor Cabezuela. There was no mention of what these salary recommendations, made in executive session, were.
* Under county projects, Commissioner Jones reported that the county roads problem is raising its head again in Precinct 3 and he’s looking into the matter.
County Judge Manuel Molinar reported that TxDOT has several used pickups, in good condition, that they will let the county have for about $7500 each. The court will look into how they can fund the proposed purchases.
Sheriff Oscar Carrillo reported that the ongoing Texas Department of Public Safety “Saturation Operation” has created some problems for him in that it is about to over crowd his jail facility and the available personal.
He, additionally, reported that he has received an additional $50,000 last Friday in border security funding. However, the treasurers office reports that it has not reached her office yet.
* And, after approving the submitted monthly reports, commissioners approved bills and salaries amounting to $231,791. Salaries accounted for slightly over $113,258 and bills amounted to slightly over $118,531.
Unemployment rate in County pegged at 2.6%
The Texas Workforce Commission, last week, released the latest unemployment statistics for the region in January.
Overall, statewide, the unemployment rate stood at 4.6%, the lowest January unemployment rate in Texas since 2001. The Texas unemployment rate is lower than January 2007’s rate of 4.8%.
The state’s unemployment rate is also lower than the national rate of 5.4%. Texas’ unemployment rate has been lower than the national average since June 2007.
Here in Culberson County, the reported unemployment rate stood at 2.6%, the lowest unemployment rate in the region.
Other counties within the region reflect the following unemployment rates for January, 2008: Brewster County - 3.4%; El Paso County - 5.9%; Hudspeth County - 4.0%; Jeff Davis County - 3.9%; and Presidio County - 9.6%.