The Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved extending the lease agreement with FEMA to use the Orange County Convention and Expo Center as a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). The lease was to expire this Saturday, March 17, but the Commissioners approved extending the lease for another two weeks until Saturday, March 31.
FEMA is using the LAPC room at the Expo Center for its DRC which is the same room the Orange County Emergency Management Office uses during emergencies. With the approach of the hurricane season in June the county may ask to see if FEMA could move to another room in the facility after March. Interim Emergency Management Coordinator Leon George told the Commissioners that 129 citizens visited the DRC last week.
George informed the Court that there is only one truck picking up storm debris in the county. He added they are picking up at least two loads a day. Citizens in Orange County that are still cleaning out their homes damaged by Tropical Storm Harvey can call the Emergency Management Office to be put on the list to have debris removed from their property. The phone number is 745-9809.
The Commissioners approved a local agreement with the City of Orange that will allow the county to use Hotel Occupancy Taxes (HOT) to pay for installation of new power feeds at the City of Orange Boat Ramp. The county can use the HOT funds because the new power feeds at the Boat Ramp will be used for promoting tourism with fishing tournaments and other events. MHC Datacomm, Inc. will install the power feeds at cost of $17,920.
A contract with Wendorf, Beward, and Partners to handle any Community Development Block Grants that Orange County receives was approved by the Commissioners. Wendorf, Beward made a presentation last week to the Court showing how they could help the county get the maximum grant funds available following the disaster from Harvey.
Human Resource Director Lori Ardoin got some good news Tuesday which coincidentally was her birthday. She requested approval to purchase a new copier for her office and a new shredder. The Commissioners gave her authorization to purchase both items totaling $6,918.
Following a closed session with Jessica Hill of the Economic Development Corporation, the Court authorized Missy Pillsbury the director of the Orange County Airport to prepare the paperwork for the Federal Aviation Administration to explore changes to be made at the airport. Hill could only say there are prospects interested in coming to Orange County if there are some changes to the airport located between Orange and Bridge City.
Two proclamations were approved by the Commissioners Court on Tuesday. The first recognized National Kick Butts Day on March 21 as part of the Gift of Life’s Youth Advisory Council taking a stand against tobacco. Several students from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School attended the meeting and spoke against smoking by young people.
March was recognized as National IDD Awareness Month in another proclamation. IDD stands for Intellectual and Developmental Disability and is coordinated through the Spindletop Center in Beaumont which works with people who have IDD in southeast Texas.
KOGT needs to correct a story it ran two weeks ago in reference to repairs being done at the Orange County Courthouse. The story said repairs to the District Attorney’s Office were completed. Maintenance Director Kurt Guidry actually said, “The DA two-story was 100 percent completed.” Guidry was talking about the building located between the courthouse and the Sheriff’s Office which is used by the County Court at Law. KOGT erroneously said this was the District Attorney’s Office. Guidry has indicated the carpet has been replaced in the DA’s office, but there is still work to be done on the walls and other items in that office.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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