Shelby County considers SWCD support, grant applications and roof bids

Shelby County considers SWCD support, grant applications and roof bids Subhead

David Danley | Light and Champion

David Danley Wed, 05/15/2024 - 19:48 Image

• Shelby County considers SWCD support, grant applications and roof bids

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Chris Crenshaw of the Natural Resources Conservation Service outlines Shelby County project costs during a request for increased funding at the Shelby County Commissioners Court meeting May 8.

Chris Crenshaw of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Terry Allen representing the Shelby County Soil and Water Conservation District addressed commissioners court last week regarding a funding increase from $7,000 to $10,000.

Comm. Roscoe McSwain chaired the Wednesday, May 8 Commissioners’ Court meeting in the ab- sence of County Judge Allison Harbison.

Crenshaw outlined work back to 2020 including $41,535 spent on general maintenance. He said sites built in the seventies are needing repairs, including one requiring “a substantial investment in repair work.”

According to Crenshaw, the landowner removed exclusion fencing allowing severe overgrazing causing “major erosion” and needing “a total rehab.” He said the NRCS estimate for the project was $335,000, adding that “the SWCD does not have that kind of money.”

Crenshaw added that most of the funding from that program goes to rapid development counties such as Tarrant and Harrison.

“At some point, it is gonna be crucial that something gets done.” He said. “If they can’t get funding, we’ll at least need to replace the fencing and patch some of this erosion.”

“(Fencing) been a continual problem,” said Allen. “We paid for new fencing (and) the landowner removed it to let animals in to graze.”

“Crenshaw noted a problem gaining access with the landowner could mean taking “the sheriff there and cut the lock and have a conversation with him.”

“I also wanted to add what NRCS has put into the county,” said Crenshaw. “Since 2020, we have allocated $2.5 million in financial assistance funding for just local resource concerns - pasture planning, tree planting, cross fencing, erosion, (etc.) for private landowners.”

He also noted that the emergency watershed protection program allocated $2.7 million for county roads and your residents.”

Crenshaw said the NRCS is currently accepting (state relief) applications for that program due to flooding although the governor has not yet declared it an emergency.”

Allen added, “Chris has been our district conservationist with the NRCS for about five years and he’s done an excellent job … gotten more money than anybody. Lucky to have him.”

Comm. Tom Bellmyer inquired about landowner contracts stating fencing to be left in place. “If we do all these repairs, then we build another fence, what’s to keep the fence from being removed again?”

“That’s why I was going to get law enforcement out there to talk to the landowner,” replied Allen, noting dams were built with easement reservations regarding damage and erosion. “This particular landowner does not adhere to that.”

County Attorney John Price added, “We need to look at those contracts.”

Bellmyer said he hoped keeping repairs and fencing intact was possible, “so we don’t have to come back in four or five years and do this again.”

Allen said, “That’s why we’re gonna get law enforcement involved … explain it very plainly as to repercussions for damage done by a landowner.

The court approved the SWCD increase.

1885 Courthouse Grants Teddy Hopkins and Rayford Copeland, representing the Shelby County Historical Commission, requested support for the Texas Historical Commission 1885 Historic Courthouse planning and restoration grant applications previously presented to the court.

According to Copeland, “The resolution “puts on paper what y’all already decided to do in support of that grant.”

The court approved the resolution, then considered a request to grant the THC a preservation easement.

“The easement doesn’t give THC any jurisdiction it doesn’t currently have,” said Copeland. “Work on historical structures requires a permit from the THC.”

The easement grant was approved.

Active Courthouse Roof County Treasurer Ann Blackwell reported that bids for active courthouse roofing were received from A-lert Roof Systems.

“We’ve used them …, so we know they are qualified. We went through TIPS (for the bids),” Blackwell said.

She added that the county’s representative at TIPS said the county was approved for the project.

McSwain pointed out that the bid was for $59,670. Bellmyer commented that insulation was also added.

Blackwell said that was the preferred bid, and it was $4,140 to add the insulation.

Bellmyer asked about funding. County Auditor Clint Porterfield said four and a half months remained in this fiscal year, and noted funds available to which the cost could be charged. He added that none of those accounts had enough to cover the new roof cost for the annex building, but accessing interest earned on the county’s investments, the cost of the roof repairs could be covered.

Porterfield said, “In our interest account, which we underbudgeted because we like to be conservative, … currently, we’re at $644,000, so we doubled it.”

Porterfield recommended using $100,000 out of the interest account and budget it in courthouse repairs.

The action was approved, as was making any necessary budget adjustments needed at a later date.

Custodial Services Contract After Blackwell’s monthly investments report, the last action taken after executive session, was approval of giving a two-week notice of termination of the contract for custodial services recently awarded.

In other business, the court approved the minutes from its April meetings, the weekly expenses and current payroll.