The Commissioners Court on Tuesday appointed an interim to be the lead administrator for the county’s Road and Bridge Department. Trey Gilbert has been with the department for 32 years and was appointed to the interim position.
The retirement of County Engineer Clark Slacum goes into effect on May 1, but Slacum took vacation for basically the last month. Gilbert’s effective date as the Interim Lead Administrator of the Road and Bridge Department is May 1.
Human Resource Director Lori Ardoin received approval from the Commissioners to advertise for applicants to fill the position of County Engineer on the American Society of Civil Engineers website starting May 1. The cost will be $475 for 30 days advertising on that website.
Ardoin has been advertising on the county’s website and through the Texas Association of Counties website. She has received five applicants already.
Following the thirty days of seeking applicants on the engineers’ website an advisory committee will review the applications received. The committee will consist of Gilbert, Ardoin, Romeo Lingad, and Commissioners Robert Viator and Theresa Beauchamp who will make the recommendation of the new engineer for approval by the Commissioners Court.
The paperwork from the state legislature was not received by the Court until Tuesday concerning the creation of a coastal protection system district. County Judge John Gothia requested the Commissioners table any action on the proposed district until they had a better opportunity to review the details. A special meeting of the Commissioners Court will be scheduled for the first week of May.
Grant administrator Melinda Smith with Traylor and Associates has been working with the county’s elevation program. Smith received approval from the Commissioners to use preliminary FEMA flood maps to establish the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for properties participating in the program.
Those FEMA flood maps have not been approved by the Commissioners Courts in several counties including Orange. The approval by the Orange County Commissioners Court will allow the flood maps to be used on an individual basis to raise the properties by one to two feet above the BFE.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
Social Media