Employees of the City of West Orange had their insurance approved Monday by the City Council for the next year. The insurance plan from the Texas Municipal League will cover health, vision, and dental for the employees. Alderman Dale Dardeau made the motion to approve the insurance package. Dardeau said the employees had reviewed the plan and approved it so the council needs to go with it. An important incentive of the insurance plan was that the City of West Orange will cover up to half of the deductible for each employee.
The council also approved retaining police officer Robert Ashworth on full-time status. Mayor Roy McDonald is pleased to have Ashworth a retired Orange police officer on the West Orange Police Department for the last six months. McDonald stated Officer Ashworth has done a great job, and West Orange appreciates officers like him that are dedicated in doing their job.
Representatives with the Brazoria County Alternative Academy (BCAA) met with the West Orange City Council on Monday. The non-profit organization recently purchased properties from the West Orange-Cove Consolidated School District on Western Avenue and Newton Street in West Orange.
Dr. James Dunn the executive managing director of the organization spoke on their plans for the former West Orange High School facility. Dunn said BCAA plans to develop the building at 2020 Western Avenue into a multi-service facility providing an array of services including children and senior citizens activity programs. They also intend to use it for corporate training and development opportunities for industries in Orange County and elsewhere.
In addition to doing some much needed grounds keeping, Dunn adds there are some needed repairs and renovations they will do in the building on Western. Dunn indicated consultants and the school district have provided assessments of the facility which showed there is some asbestos that needs to be removed, structural issues that need addressing, and the flooring has to be redone. Half of the building was recently occupied by a company and is in pretty good shape. He praised the Carl Godwin Auditorium as being state of the art. Dunn admits there are no immediate plans for the former Lorena Oates Elementary School building on Newton Street which was also purchased from the school district.
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