County Attorney Shane Britton and Vulcan Materials officials presented Brown County Commissioners with plans of a concrete bridge Vulcan Materials would like to build along CR 234 at no expense to the county.

In order to allow easier access for Vulcan trucks to travel between lands owned by the company on either side of this county road, the company had an engineer design a bridge to allow traffic to continue along CR 234, eliminating traffic hazards from trucks crossing.  Instead of a truck crossing area, this bridge will be in effect an underpass for the Vulcan trucks. The bridge is also designed to be wider than the county road so that no “bottle necking” of traffic will occur.

The company proposed an easement through Vulcan property during construction of the bridge which will include a sealed asphalt road made with material that is the quality of the county road to ensure traffic flow during the construction phase.  The plans and contract include no expense for the county; however, after completion, the bridge will become an improvement to the county road and will be maintained by the county.

“The company chosen for the construction is the same company that built the overpass in Comanche recently,” stated Britton.

After a detailed discussion of the legal liabilities and contract, commissioners approved the blanket easement through Vulcan land and also the contract to allow Vulcan to build the bridge.  Construction may begin as early as March.

Pictured above, Commissioner Steve Adams shows the preliminary bridge construction and easement drawing to the audience during the court.

In other matters on the agenda:

*Larry Traweek, Commissioner Pct. 4, was granted approval for installation of a private line along CR 152, located just off of Hwy 279.  The installation will run along a ditch and require no cuts to the roadway.

*Approval to use the south lawn of the courthouse for a ceremony March 2, 2011 for the 175th Anniversary of Texas Independence was granted to the Brown County Historical Commission.  The ceremony will begin at 11:30am and last for approximately 30 minutes.

*Emergency Management Coordinator Brent Bush received approval from the court to travel to and attend the Emergency Management Conference in San Antonio on April 26-29, 2011.

*Commissioners approved replacement of Precinct 1 employee James Williams with the hiring of Dakota Dowdy.

*Commissioners approved a resolution allowing Brown County Sheriff’s Office to re-apply for the Violence Against Women Act Grant which helps fund the pay for an investigator who works these cases involving Domestic Violence Against Women.  The grant, as explained by Captain Tony Aaron of the BCSO, will cover 75% of the salary of the investigator.  The grant calls for a 35% match by the county which will be a part of next year’s budget, increasing the county funding by $13,871.  Aaron stated that he and the BCSO staff believe that this grant is working out very well and that the position is needed.

*Commissioners approved the purchase of a portable radio by BCSO which will be purchased out of existing funds.  The cost is $1468.70 and will be purchased from a Brown County vendor, B&S Services which currently services the BCSO radios.  Sheriff Grubbs stated that it is important to him that the BCSO gets the best deal but also that they look to Brown County vendors when making purchases such as this.

*Tony Aaron gave the Jail Count, which was at 155, with 125 males and 30 females as of Monday morning.