By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
County commissioners court members learned a major milestone has been reached in
plans for a new target range north of the Del Rio city limits.
Carl Esser, the county’s grant writer and administrator, gave commissioners court
members an update on the project during their most recent meeting on April 23.
The new range will be sited near the Precinct 3 yard off U.S. Highway 277.
Esser told the court, “Judge and commissioners, this morning we have for consideration
on the agenda an item, the target range term agreement. Believe it or not, we have turned
the corner on the target range facility. The Texas Parks and Wildlife (Department) has
come to the conclusion and has approved the county’s environmental assessment, and this agreement that you have before you this morning will begin the process of closing out the planning grant.
“Once the planning grant is closed out, this document is executed and submitted back to the agency, along with a couple of contingencies. We’ve already got it done and completed. As far as on the building, the architect has submitted a letter for the duration of the project. His estimation, the facility out there, once it’s constructed, will be good for the next 50 years,” Esser said.
He said the planning grant for the project was $400,000.
“It’s good news, and after this is completed, the county will complete a construction grant application. That construction grant application will be non-competitive. You all may recall that is for the remaining amount of the funds, about $1.3 million, so congratulations on this turning point and moving forward with the project,” Esser said.
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. asked Esser if the court needed to take action on the agenda item.
Esser replied the court needed to vote to authorize Owens to sign the agreement.
Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez made the motion to authorize Owens to sign
the agreement, and Commissioner Pct. 3 Fernando Garcia gave the second.
The motion passed on a unanimous vote.
The next two items on the court’s agenda also dealt with the target range project.
The next item was the first quarter 2025 report on the project.
Esser told the court the first quarter report, which covers January, February and March, has been approved by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The report, prepared by Esser and available for viewing on the county’s website, notes that the county has changed the site of the target range from the SE Ranch property east of the Del Rio city limits and west of Laughlin Air Force Base, to an area near the grounds of the Precinct 3 yard off U.S. Highway 277 north of Del Rio.
Esser wrote the site of the new target range facility was changed because extending water to the SE Ranch site would have increased the cost of the project.
The court unanimously approved the first quarter report.
The final item on the court’s agenda dealing with the target range facility was “discussion
and possible action (on the) Finding of No Significant Impact issued by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for the Val Verde Target Range Project.”
Esser told the court, “This is the document we’ve been looking for. Parks and Wildlife finally issued it last week, and their conclusion is a finding that we’re not (making) any significant impact to the human environment or the natural environment out there (on the site of the target range) and that we can proceed with the next phase, which is the construction of the facility.”
Esser recommended the court record the document in the minutes of its meeting.
Owens asked, “When we go out for bids on this or figure out a contract for it, do we have the bid form on how we’re supposed to put this out? The certain rules that we’re going to have to abide by . . . because of the type of money that we’re getting?”
“It’s pending. We have not received anything from the agency in regards to that. (They’re) federal funds, so the procedure won’t be any different from what we use for some (other grant) projects,” Esser replied.
Owens asked Esser to forward those documents to the county’s purchasing department when he received them.
The court unanimously approved the finding as well.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
