|
State recognizes city employee
Utilities manager Eddie Hernandez received a medal of merit from Mayor Richard Heffley on behalf of the state of Texas.
|
By Cyndi Wright, Managing Editor
Eddie Hernandez, city utility manager, was honored at the Columbus City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 26 for his role during Hurricane Rita.
According to Mayor Richard Heffley, Hernandez was one of many who went above and beyond to help when the city was flooded with hurricane evacuees in September 2005.
"We were overwhelmed with evacuees," Heffley recalled.
He described a scene where people were fighting with each other, fighting with local people who were trying to restore order, and at one point, trying to bash down the doors of a local supermarket.
According to Heffley, he asked Hernandez, a retired sergeant first class, to put on his battle fatigues and help try to manage the crowds.
"He helped police the crowd and he was a calming presence to many," Heffley recalled.
He presented Hernandez with a State of Texas Medal of Merit for his activities during that time.
In other business, the city and Columbus ISD will work together to apply for a grant that could fund sidewalks, curbs and gutters to help encourage more children to walk and bike to school.
Columbus ISD Superin-tendent Randy Hoyer and City Manager David Meisell presented the program to council.
"This could encourage walking and riding bikes to school," Hoyer said.
The grant is part of a safety program from Texas Department of Transportation called Texas Safe Routes to School. The grant will fund up to $750,000 for the development and improvement of bicycle and pedestrian traffic to and from schools.
"Research has shown that the most successful way to increase bicycling and walking is through a comprehensive program that includes the '5 E's' - engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation," the application packet reads.
"Columbus Junior High School - Riverside Campus is an excellent candidate for this program," Hoyer said. "I believe that upon successful application, we could receive funds to address drainage issues, curbing, sidewalks and traffic issues as well as provide a safe route to schools for our children. This improvement would be a finishing touch to the school and community."
The work would focus on the area from Bus. Hwy 71 west to the campus and from the campus south to Hwy. 90, Hoyer said. He added that a representative from TxDOT had visited the area recently.
"TxDot agreed we are an excellent candidate," he said.
Under the guidelines of the grant, the school district will furnish a developed plan that identifies safety hazards, current and potential walking and bicycling routes to school, and activities that will incorporate each of the '5 E's' to create a comprehensive program. The city will be responsible for the infrastructure application and will be required to pay for the project up front if the grant is awarded. TxDOT will pay back 100 percent of the funds. The infrastructure application will include a preliminary engineer's report, estimated by Donald Warschak, the city's consulting engineer, to be less than $5,000.
"If the grant is not approved, the city will be out those funds," councilman Brian Berger noted.
Councilman Chuck Rankin pointed out that the city needs to do something to make it safer for students who walk to school.
"We have that need right now, whether we do this project or not," he said. "I see kids playing dodge ball with traffic every day trying to get to school."
Meisell told council that the major challenge would be the railroad tracks that cross Rampart Street.
"Getting kids across the tracks safely is a major issue," he said.
Councilman Lori Sprague made a motion to approve the project, and it was seconded by Rankin. The council unanimously approved the project. The deadline for applying for the grant is May 25.
In the city manager's report to council, Meisell said that city crews are on the last phases of the water pipe project, but had discovered one or more undetected water leaks while re-laying the storm sewer on Front Street north of Robson. The city was unaware of the leaks, which have been going on for an undetermined amount of time, because the water has been draining into a storm drain, Meisell said. He showed council a piece of the old pipe, riddled with holes.
Meisell reported to council that the final demolition of the old drying beds at the water treatment plant has been completed. The rest of the work should be finished by early summer, he said.
A pre-bid conference for the new water well was held Thursday, Feb. 22 with six bidders attending.
"If we can get even four of them to bid, we will be fortunate," Warshack mentioned.
Two proposals will be sent to the planning and zoning committee, which meets on March 5. Mark Youens has asked to subdivide a .4247 acre tract into two tracts, and August Jones has asked for a zoning change at 1919 Bowie from District R-3 Day Care Facilities to District R, Single Family or Two Family Residential District.
Police Chief Danny Jackson reported that his department had 212 calls for service in January, issued 134 citations, worked eight accidents and cleared 26 cases.
| 
