County Accepts Bid on Fire Building
Someone finally submitted a bid for construction of an extension of the volunteer fire department building in Garden City, and the county commissioners’ court approved it on May 12. Having had no luck for months getting even one bid on the building, commissioners seemed anxious to get a price locked in before steel prices rise again.
The bid, from Ivory Bowers, was for $49,500, considerably higher than the $25,000 the county had budgeted for it. There was no discussion of where the extra funds would be found.
According to Bowers’ bid, the building will be metal, 40 x 50 x 16 feet with a 6-inch slab and 12 x 18-inch footing. It will have three overhead 12 x 14-foot doors with openers and one walk-through door; a 5 x 40-foot deck with stairs and handrails. The bid includes insulation, a 25-year paint warranty and a 1-year warranty against leaks. No electrical work is included. County equipment and personnel will do the necessary dirt work.
Commissioners said Bowers has done extensive construction around the county, building barns, shops, etc.
Murder Suspect Being Kept in Reagan County
According to Deputy Sheriff Keith Burnett, 29-year-old Rodney Mason was arrested March 15 in Carlsbad, N.M. for a homicide on State Highway 137 in Glasscock County. According to Burnett, the arrest followed weeks of intensive work by him, the Texas Department of Public Safety and others.
The suspect is in the Reagan County jail in lieu of $175,000 bail. Burnett says it is costing Glasscock County $36 per day to hold him there, but Burnett says he cannot monitor the jail here until he (Burnett) gets some help in the department, which should be forthcoming.
County Treasurer Alan Dierschke reported that District Judge Robert Moore wants a public address system installed in the county courtroom. He said Moore was upset recently when lawyers and those in attendance had trouble hearing witness testimony in the room. Moore also wants flags on both sides of the bench – standard in most courtrooms. County Judge Wilburn Bednar joked that he (Bednar) had 21 years to get flags into the courtroom, and hadn’t gotten it done yet.
Burn Ban Fizzles
Bednar brought up the matter of a burn ban again, and again the idea was not warmly received. Bednar said he wasn’t suggesting a ban, but gets calls asking if we have one yet. Commissioner Michael Hoch said he’d want to see what restrictions neighboring counties have in place.
Burnett said he opposes the idea. He said it couldn’t be enforced unless it’s countywide, and he thinks it’s unnecessary. He said 90 percent of the fires that start inside the county are put out before the volunteer fire fighters get there. He said most of the large fires, whether in the county or in the area, are started by power lines or oil field activity. He said with or without a burn ban, an individual is responsible for any property damage caused by a fire he starts. No action was taken.
In a county court meeting April 28, commissioners agreed to support a resolution for using two dollars from state hunting license fees for predator control.