April is Sexual Assault Awareness month
ANDERSON — Commissioners signed a proclamation designating April as Sexual Assault Awareness month during Wednesday’s meeting.
According to the proclamation, each year the month of April provides an opportunity for the Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC) and rape crises centers across the state to renew their commitments to serve the communities. Educational efforts also intensify, which ensures that Texans are aware of the sexual assault services available in their area.
Consuelo Martinez, the SARC education and outreach specialist, spoke on the importance of sexual assault awareness.
“We would like to continue collaborating with Grimes County to help serve those who have been victims of sexual assault,” said Martinez. “As of 2018, we helped serve 19 community members of Grimes County.”
Road and Bridge weekend crew
Road and Bridge Engineer Harry Walker requested to move forward with the idea of a weekend work crew for Grimes County Road and Bridge.
Walker said the idea originated in a recent workshop. Judge Joe Fauth III wanted to explore the possibility of a weekend work crew for the summer with road and bridge crews working four 10-hour shifts. According to the county, this would allow road work to continue Friday through Sunday so that expensive equipment isn’t “sitting idle for three days.”
Initially, Walker said the intent was to hire new employees for the weekend crew. After further evaluation of the costs of hiring and training a whole new crew, Walker deemed it to be more feasible to offer overtime to his employees that may be interested instead.
“The idea is to approve 20-hours of overtime per employee on the weekend crew,” said Walker.
Walker told the court he would like to implement the weekend work crew beginning May 1. The projected cost would be $58,000 for 440 hours running through Sept. 28.
County Attorney Jon C. Fultz stated the motion is just to approve the concept of establishing a weekend crew not for the money, which would need to be a budget amendment. Commissioners approved Walker’s request to move forward with a weekend crew.
Commissioners also approved road and bridge to go out for bids regarding contracts for asphalt paving and chip sealing. Walker told the court that he spoke with other road and bridge engineers in surrounding counties about the prices they pay for an outside contractor compared to the county providing the service themselves and the two seem to be comparable. Walker said if an outside contractor is brought in that that will free his workers for projects in other areas.
Walker said they have tested a base seal on CR 446 on the stretch between CR 407 and 408. He said the material hardens quickly like concrete and is also gray in color like concrete. He noted the price is substantially higher but, so far, he is “impressed with the way the test area has held.”
In other business, the county:
•approved the auction of a 2008 Ford Explorer on govdeals.com, which is currently having transmission and motor difficulties;
•approved a contract with iWorks for software to allow the maintenance department to divert from email work order forms to an online work order system. The cost will be $3,000 a year and will be included in IT’s budget next year; and
•approved the Child Welfare Board’s request to remove Michelle Sanders from the board and add Patti Sexton as her replacement.
No action was needed or taken to reinstate the burn ban lifted Sept. 12, 2018.
The next scheduled meeting is at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, at the Grimes County Annex Building, 114 West Buffington Avenue in Anderson.