WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS HIRE ARCHITECT FOR LAKE SOMERVILLE EMS STATION

  

Washington County Commissioners agreed today (Tuesday) to hire an architect for the project to build an EMS station at Lake Somerville.

Commissioners selected Keese & Associates of Brenham for the EMS Station No. 6 at Lake Somerville’s Overlook Park.  The design calls for up to a 6,000 square foot facility, including 4,000 square feet of living and work area space, and another 2,000 square feet of bay area.

According to the agenda packet for the meeting, the county will pay a sum of $147,000 to Keese & Associates to design the station.  EMS Director Kevin Deramus said the intent is not to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, but instead non-local tax dollars through the Texas Ambulance Supplemental Payment Program (TASPP), which has been used to fund other EMS station projects in Washington County. 

The county’s other remote EMS stations in Burton, Chappell Hill and Washington were built with TASPP funding, donations or a combination of the two. 

Deramus explained that the county went out for requests for qualifications for engineering/architectural services because the land being used for the station is federal property, and he wanted to ensure that all of the county’s bases were covered. 

Per the agenda packet, the architect’s scope will include the services of structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering.  The site and parking will be designed based on topography and civil engineering information provided by the county. 

In May 2022, the county approved a five-year agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permission to build, operate and maintain an EMS station and helipad on 1.5 acres near Overlook Park Road and LBJ Drive. 

After the regular session, the court opened a meeting for the Pecan Glen Road District to approve a second change order and third payment application to Schrader Construction Company for the Pecan Glen roadway improvements project.  The change order is a credit of $25,400, while the payment application is a cost of $179,012.

The road improvements, which according to County Engineer Wesley Stolz are nearly complete, are funded by bond proceeds approved by voters in the Pecan Glen Road District in May 2021.  Only residents within the road district’s boundaries are paying the added tax to support the upgrades. 

In other business during the regular meeting, commissioners:

• Presented a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting to the county auditor’s office for its comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021.  The award, which comes from the Government Finance Officers Association, marks the 12^th straight year of recognition for the auditor’s office.
• Approved an interlocal cooperation contract with the Department of State Health Services (DSHS).  The contract allows the county clerk access to the DSHS Vital Event Electronic Registration System for the purpose of accepting and issuing vital records, such as birth and death certificates. 
• Accepted a payment of $171,433 from Magnolia Oil & Gas Operating, LLC for road repairs in Precinct 4.
• Declared a 1999 Ford pickup at the sheriff’s office as surplus property and agreed to sell it through GovDeals, the county’s online auction service. 
• Approved the 2023 Independence 4^th of July parade permit application.
• Approved a subdivision platting variance for a land division fronting Affleck Road in Precinct 3.