By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A number of projects, ranging from water line extensions to a planned fire station north of the Del Rio city limits, are moving ahead, County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. told members of county commissioners court.
Owens gave an update on some of the county’s ongoing projects during the court’s February regular term meeting on Monday.
San Felipe Pastures and Vega Verde Road
Owens began his update with a report on a pending $1 million grant the county has received for water-related projects in San Felipe Pastures in Precinct 2, Vega Verde Road in Precinct 4 and Comstock in Precinct 3.
The San Felipe Pastures and Vega Verde Road projects involve extension of city water lines to serve residents of those areas and the Comstock portion of the grant will be used to place tanks for water distribution in that unincorporated town, located about 30 miles west of Del Rio.
Owens on Monday told the court, “I had an email this morning; the grant for San Felipe Pastures, Vega Verde and Comstock is ready for me to sign.”
Owens moved on to a project being done by County Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez.
Lausen Road crossing
Owens said Vazquez is working on constructing a concrete drainage ditch and a low-water crossing on Lausen Road, and he pointed out the two projects are part of a larger effort to alleviate chronic flooding issues in a residential neighborhood known as the Del Rio Hedges, just north of Lausen.
“In conjunction with that, we’ve been looking at doing a retention system north (of the Hedges). I guess the easiest way to describe it would be on Frank Larson and Blanca Larson’s property right beside the old NPS (headquarters building),” Owens said.
He said the county will work with the city as it addresses additional flood mitigation project in and around a 60-acre parcel of private property north of Walmart.
“To take care of the flooding, it’s all going to have to be done together, the retention system up top (north), the low water crossing on Lausen, and then the ditches on the Mondragon property and then maybe some type of retention system on the Mondragon property and then also on that 27 acres between Lausen and Chapman. . . That would help with the flooding going down through Fox (Drive) and winding up in Cienegas,” Owens said.
Sports complex
He said the county is still waiting on the completion of an environmental assessment for a planned sports complex north of the Del Rio Middle School off U.S. Highway 90 East.
Owens had previously told the court the county has received a $2 million federal grant for the complex, and the county has set aside an additional $2 million for its completion.
Escondido Estates water project
Owens also discussed another water project, this one in Precinct 1’s Escondido Estates area off U.S. Highway 90 east of Laughlin Air Force Base.
Owens said the county this year set aside $355,000 for the placement of a pump station for water lines that were extended into the area.
He said the bids the county received for the project were more than $800,000, meaning the county will have to come up with additional funds to complete the work.
“We’re probably looking at about $600,000 short on that project that . . . the county’s going to have to go ahead and bite that bullet and get that done,” Owens said.
The county judge said the project will be rebid, “and then when those bids come in, then the court will have to make a decision on exactly how we’re going to fund that.”
Precinct 1 warehouse
Another Precinct 1 project Owens discussed is a precinct warehouse that will be built in the new Precinct 1 yard, acreage carved from the SE Ranch property the county purchased adjacent to Laughlin Air Force Base.
Owens said he was happy to see Precinct 1 finally get its own yard.
“When I was a commissioner, they worked out of a container, and then they went to the fire station on Hamilton, and now they’re fixing to have a full-blown warehouse, which is pretty impressive. Everybody already had buildings and community centers and self-help centers and stuff like that. They really didn’t have a facility, which now they’re going to have someplace that’s really nice,” Owens said.
He said the county is also moving on constructing an events center at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds off North Main Street and a new fire station north of the Del Rio city limits.
New fire station
Owens said Vazquez is working with city officials on the site for the fire station, which will be located between the intersection of U.S. Highways 90 and 277 just north of Del Rio and State Loop 79.
“So that one, we also have bids for it. If for some reason we end up with hiccups on that one, we can turn around and put it at the Precinct 3 yard, which is right across the street from this location,” Owens said.
The county judge then asked County Commissioner Pct. 3 Fernando Garcia if he was done working at Long Park.
Long Memorial Park
Long Memorial Park, off Lenawee Avenue northwest of Del Rio, includes tennis courts, a baseball field, basketball and volleyball courts, a soccer pitch, playground and a new splash pad. The park is named after the family of the late James Long, a local military historian whose family owned much of the land in the Lake Ridge area before it was developed.
Owens asked Garcia, “Long Park. You all are done?”
Garcia replied, “We’re getting real close.”
“They’re going to be testing the pumps installed on the tanks for the splash pad this week and after that, I think we’re pretty much done,” County Engineer Carlos Velarde added.
Owens said the county is also still waiting on the completion of the environmental assessment on the planned target range to be placed in Precinct 3.
“We already know what type of driveway we’re going to put in with TxDOT, so that’s been approved, and we’ve got $1.2 million still in the grant and another $1.5 million that we borrowed, so we’ve got $2.7 million on that one. The last commissioners court, we went out and got bids to maybe do some of the site work,” Owens said.
“I know there were concerns that (all the other commissioners) were really busy with their own stuff and probably weren’t going to be able to help, so that will relieve some of that pressure,” he added.
Owens finished his update by telling Escondido Estates residents in the audience, who attend nearly every commissioners court meeting, that as soon as there was movement on that project, he would put an item on the court’s agenda “to keep you all notified as to what’s going on.”
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
