Austin County Selling Building on Square
The Bellville Times
• The Austin County Commissioners Court has voted to free up another county building on the Bellville square. During Jan. 10 meeting at the courthouse, the commissioners unanimously voted to declare the Adult Probation Building, which is located at 17 E. Main (corner of S. Bell just above the historic Austin County Jail Museum), as surplus. This will enable the county to sell the building, which has housed adult probation for many years. The Adult Probation Office will be moving to the new Criminal Justice Center, which is being constructed off N. Chesley, when that facility is ready.
• A position has opened up on the Bellville Independent School District’s board of trustees with the resignation of Vince Ruffino. Ruffino is resigning from the board because he is taking a job out-of-state. His position is up for election the May which means there will be about three months remaining on his expired term.
Wharton Journal Spectator
• The two sides made presentations Jan. 10 at the Wharton City Council meeting on how to best preserve the historic Hopper Elementary School on Abell St. On one side is developer David Bowlin, who has a contract to buy the property from the Wharton Independent School District, and on the other are members of the Wharton County Heritage Project (WCHP). Both want to see the school preserved, but they contrast sharply on how to do it. Both sides gave the council an earful as they presented their case. Bowlin wants to turn the school into housing units, converting classrooms into apartments, and building single family homes on the playground. The WCHP wants to see the building preserved and utilized for educational and community purposes. Both sides have cooperated to get the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At risk is an $8.75 million HUD grant for housing in the city. Bowlin explained that the HUD grant is funneled through the Texas General Land Office (GLO) as part of Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. He said the application for the grant was sitespecific. Members of WCHP disagree. “When it was told to us that these grants were site-specific, we were told that it could not be moved. And we went to HUD, and we were told by HUD that it is not site-specific. For some reason, GLO was telling us that it was site-specific,” said Jeffery Blair of WCHP. After listening to several speakers, the council took no action.
The Weimar Mercury
• The Weimar City Council, in a meeting on Thursday, Jan. 13, approved the purchase of six high-definition camera units in the amount of $41,209.80, for added protection within the city limits. Each unit contains four focus lenses to give the ability to have a 360-degree view of an area. The cameras will be placed in various high trafficked parts of the city and when installed, will have the capability to add additional units in the future. The camera units hard drive will have the ability to hold videos for 90 days or longer. The city will pay $21,209.80 for the units and the police seizure fund will contribute $20,000. The recordings can be held for 90 days or longer.
Burleson County Tribune
• In one of the toughest weeks Burleson County ever had for fire damage, three homes were destroyed as area firefighters responded on F.M. 2000, County Road 221 and in Post Oak Hills Subdivision in the Birtch Creek area. All three houses burned to the ground, although no injuries occurred. No foul play is suspected in any of the fires, although a precise cause remains unknown, firefighters said. On Sunday, Jan. 16 Caldwell, Deanville and Cooks Point firefighters responded to a fire at Shirley Telschow’s home at 9596 F.M. 2000. It was fully involved by the time the firefighters arrived. Cooks Point and Caldwell firefighters also responded to a house fire at 10:05 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, at a home on County Road 221 off State Hwy. 21 East owned by Claude Young. It was fully engulfed and on the ground as firefighters arrived. Nothing was saved. Birch Creek, Somerville and Deanville firefighters also responded to a house fire at Chelsea Putska’s mobile home at 202 Lois Lane at Post Oak Hills Subdivision at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Birch Creek firefighters arrived first in about 15 minutes, and the trailer was fully involved.