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Eagle Ford Shale Highway Safety Forum Held in Cotulla
A.D. Ibarra
-Cotulla, TX
The Texas Department of Transportation held a very important Public Safety Forum in Cotulla, Texas this past week in order to reduce accidents in the Eagle Ford Shale region.
The forum convened about 200 local leaders, sheriffs, public works administrators, members of the Middle Rio Grande Development Council and public security authorities of Texas, Texas transportation, oil company representatives and other public officials were also present along with Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber.
TxDoT stressed the need to improve the roads that are experiencing increased wear to traffic by the presence of oil companies working in the Eagle Ford Shale project.
The state agency has already canceled the project of turning the roads to gravel roads and proposed to work together with the major oil companies to invest in improving the roads, which includes adding lanes and paving unpaved roads in key areas.
Cell II to open at Maverick County Solid Waste Authority
A.D. Ibarra
-MCSWA
At the meeting of the Maverick County Solid Waste Authority, Manager Mike Castillo informed the Board of Directors of the fact that Cell II of the landfill is in the final stages of preparation and all seems to indicate that it is ready to be put to use. They are extracting water which has accumulated in Cell II because of rain at this time.
Board Member Bennie Rodriguez expressed his concern that all expenditures should have already been taken care of.
"I just want to make sure that everything we had approved for Cell II has been carried out and that there will not be anything pending before we begin using it," stated Rodriguez before Castillo and one of his assistants clarified that all was indeed taken care of as of right now.
"When you start using Cell II how are they trucks going to come in? Are they going to be using the same routes," queried Roberto Mireles.
"It will actually be a lot closer now," answered Castillo, "Before we had to go around because we were building Cell II, now as you come off the scale, we've already paved the new road and they can go straight in."
The board was given a listing of tipping fees as well as a list of expenditures to which the members acquiesced that they approve of these figures which they were unanimously approved.
The meeting moved into executive session after this.
MCHD reluctantly elect officers to new terms
A.D. Ibarra
-MCHD
In a roundabout way, the Maverick County Hospital District Board of Directors elected officers to a new term on Wednesday.
When News Gram reporters arrived, discussion was underway as to whether or not they would allow the Battered Women's Shelter, an organization that was kicked out of the offices previously loaned to the County Commissioner of Precinct 1 when the board approved to evict the commissioner and all agencies in the building to be out by December 31st.
Next on the agenda was the item of Time Warner Cable broadcasting their meetings live due to the lack of transparency board members and administration feel the board is lacking in some respects. This project may run as much as $15,000.00 to be accomplished, plus a $200.00 a month fee for air time.
When item V C., election of officers came up, board member Ricardo Calderon brought up several reasons why he felt that there should be a changing of the guard in terms of officers citing an inability for this board to present balanced budget in all the years it has been together.
When calderon asked Board President JM Farias how many years he had served as president, Farias stated, "I don't think it is important and I don't have to tell you," as Calderon retorted that the public who has elected them deserves to know, farias would not reply before he was again nominated to continue at the helm of the board, Rito Valdez III will continue as Vice-President and Humberto Duran will continue as Secretary.
For much more on this meeting, pick up a copy of Sunday's edition of your Eagle Pass News Gram.