COMMISSIONERS APPROVE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL GRANT TO EXPAND HODDE CENTER
The Washington County Commissioners met this morning to approve a resolution supporting an application for a Federal Grant to expand the A.W. Hodde, Jr. Technical Education Center. The expansion will be connected to the current building by a walkway, and will utilize all the current parking areas.
Page Michel of the Chamber of Commerce gave a presentation to the commissioners on the kind of building planned, which requires matching funds from local entities to receive the Federal Grant.
Washington County is promising $50,000, while Blinn College is considering donating $100,000 for the subject of approving the Blinn College portion of the grant will be discussed an approved during the Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday.
The Brenham Economic Development Foundation is pledging $50,000. There are also donations from private entities and banks in the Brenham area.
Michel noted that the expansion is coming at a critical time due to the high unemployment numbers expected during the next report. The current unemployment rate of 3.8%, and, according to Michel, the May rate is expected to be around 8%.
The results of the grant application will be known in mid to late July.
The Commissioners also discuss and approved the possibility of granting the Washington County EMS the authority to purchase a Tempus Pro Patient Monitor with grant funds from the Texas Department of State Health Services through an Extraordinary Emergency Fund award.
The monitor will include an ultrasound which can be used aboard an ambulance, and the purchase would make Washington County one of the very few entities in Texas to have the device, which is about the size of an iPad.
The Commissioners also approved the name change for a 2015 road-based material vendor from State Development Corporation to Old Castle Materials on the 2015 Annual Bid Award for the Road and Bridge Department.
An interlocal agreement between Washington County and the City of Brenham to share cost related to the Everbridge Mass Notification Software was discussed and approved.
The notification system, which is a 50/50 venture between the city and county, will be used to inform the public of items such as road closures and weather alerts.
The commissioners encourages people to sign up for Everbridge. Those who are signed up on Blackboard are already in the Everbridge system, but there are extra items that are available on Everbridge that were not available on Blackboard, and those items need to be signed up for in order to receive them.
Also approved was the nomination of Donna Schultz to the Washington County Child Welfare Board. The commissioners thanked Schulze, who was present at the meeting, for her willingness to volunteer for the position.
Finally, the commissioners voted to move the next Commissioner’s meeting, scheduled originally for Tuesday, June 16th to Monday, June 15th due to a majority of Commissioners’ Court members attending the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Conference in Beaumont.
