County to Expand Fire Station
Alan Dierschke approached the county commissioners court at its meeting July 9 with a plan for expansion of the Garden City fire station. Citing the need for more storage space for trucks and equipment, he presented two options, and the commissioners voted for the first, which will add a 40 – 50 foot extension to the west end of the metal fire department building.
Dierschke said the adjacent concrete block building has been found to be very structurally sound but it needs a new roof. Renovation of that building will include a roof, plus painting to match the other building.
The court agreed to advertise for bids on the construction project. Details of the proposal are available in the county treasurer’s office in the courthouse.
Commissioner Marck Schafer said he wants the old Forest Service pumper truck “…to disappear,” before anything is done about the fire station buildings. Commissioner Halfmann said no one knows how to operate it, and there is no time to train volunteers (who he said are already stretched too thin). He said maybe the school could use the truck. Schafer said he had mentioned it to Superintendent Steve Long two times. County Judge Wilburn Bednar has said repeatedly, over several years, that if the truck is not going to be used, it should be returned to the Forest Service.
Homeland Security, Haz-Mat Issues
Bednar, the county’s contact for Homeland Security (HS) issues, mentioned receipt of an HS letter regarding an emergency management plan. Bednar voiced his general displeasure with the agency, saying they issue regulations that are the same for Harris County as for Glasscock County. He cited a request for 26 volunteers for a particular HS project and said he told the HS person that he might be able to assemble 26 volunteers in two years. Bednar and the commissioners do not want the liability of stocking vaccines in case of a pandemic, and have rejected HS overtures in that regard before. Commissioners had not read the HS letter or the emergency plan and Michael Hoch said he wanted to review it before the court acts in the matter.
There was discussion of a 20-foot hazardous materials (Haz-Mat) trailer that has been in the St. Lawrence VFD building for about a year. Until recently, none of the commissioners knew about the trailer, and no one present could explain its origin or purpose.
Court Again Discusses WTRCA Issue
The court revisited the matter of contributing $100,000 to West Texas Rural Counties Association, so the organization can pay less in reinsurance premiums. The organization needs to raise at least $1 million from its member counties to realize reinsurance savings. The item had been tabled at the county court’s June 11 meeting. After discussion July 9, the court again made no decision.
Schafer was the only commissioner to voice an opinion on the matter, saying he thinks the savings don’t justify the risk.
The court appointed the same slate of election judges as the last few years: Helen Glass, Maritha Blalock, Jo Ann Turner and Ann Hoelscher.
In other action, the court again voted against adding any fees to vehicle licensing in the county and agreed to update its property listings for insurance purposes.
Bednar asked that some round, thick tabletops and a white, decorative pedestal be removed from a community center closet so the drivers’ license person can store equipment there. Dierschke said the materials were donated to the county; no one seemed to know what the county would do with them, nor where they should be stored.
The commissioners’ court will meet in special session at 10 a.m. July 16.