KAZ’S KORNER
SPORTS COMMENTARY Page 1 Section B
ORANGE COUNTY
Outdoors
FISHING
HUNTING & FISHING
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 1 Section B
Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 3 Section B
RELIGION & LOCAL CHURCH GUIDE Page 6B
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 60 No. 33
Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield
Week of Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Commissioners set C-P abatement vote Feb. 18 Dave Rogers
For The Record
The Orange County Commissioners said goodbye to a longtime faithful servant and took a required step to landing a highly new addition Tuesday. About an hour and a half after thanking retiring Records Department Director Regina Cameron for 20 years of service, County Judge John Gothia closed the weekly session by announcing that a vote on an abatement agreement for the proposed $6 billion Chevron-Phillips Chemical plant would be on
the agenda Feb. 18 for Commissioners’ Court. Under a new state law, agreements made under Gothia Chapter 312 of the Tax Code, the Property Redevelopment and Tax Abatement Act, require 30 days advance posting and this notice was posted at the courthouse on Jan. 17. The commissioners had the agreement listed on the agenda before Christmas but took no action at that time, saying the final language had
yet to be worked out. Chevron-Phillips has said it plans to spend up to $8 billion on the world-class plant, including architectural, engineering and permitting costs, but has not announced where it will be located. It says the project will employ as many as 9,000 people
for construction and end with about 600 permanent high-paying jobs. The company has bought about 1,800 acres between the County Airport and the historic Chemical Row plants. It is surveying at the County Airport to extend pipelines to its property.
The City of Orange disannexed about 400 acres so all 1,800 acres could be in a Reinvestment Zone created by the county; the city is running water lines from Interstate 10 and the Bridge City and West Orange-Cove school districts have granted Chapter 313 tax deals.
Just in case the multinational company based in The Woodlands decides sometime this year or next to build there. The county paid $612,578 in weekly bills, including $228,281 to pay Orange COUNTY BUSINESS Page 3A
Orangefield Elementary Receives Grant from IPF
Ex-customer challenges Roccaforte in Precinct 3 race Dave Rogers
For The Record
Carl LeBlanc says if he’s elected Orange County Commissioner for Precinct 3 he will give back $11,000 of his annual salary. “I don’t think the Commissioners’ Court needs to get the pay they get,” LeBlanc said. “To me, they shouldn’t take any raises until the county is financially stable. All raises should go to employees before they get them. “I don’t plan on taking the raise they got last year. I don’t plan on taking the one they gave themselves during Harvey.” In September 2017 at a meeting held at the County Expo Center because of flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, commissioners voted 4-1 for about $200,000 per year in annual raises for 18 elected officials. Commissioners got a 15 percent pay raise from
Roccaforte
LeBlanc
$63,118 per year to $72,800 in 2017. All elected officials got a 2 percent raise in 2019, increasing commissioners’ pay to $74,256 per year. Each time, the county judge (Stephen Britt Carlton in 2017 and John Gothia in 2019) argued that state law required the five-person Commissioners Court (four commissioners and the judge) to vote on all elected officials’ raises. Not good enough for LeBlanc, a Bridge City native whose dad, Mayo LeBlanc, helped start Bridge City’s volunteer fire department. “I know the court’s got to PRECINT 3 RACE Page 3A
Newcomers missing in city, school elections Dave Rogers
For The Record
Candidates for local school boards and city council seats have until Feb. 14 to register for the May 2 election. Sign-up for the offices began a week ago and early reports show no one other than current officeholders enlisting for duty. In Bridge City, Mayor David Rutledge and council members Mike Reed, Danny Harrington and Lucy Fields have filed to keep the offices they hold. Reed and Harrington were both summer appointees to fill sudden vacancies so this won’t be a reelection scenario for them. But none but the four sit-
ting members has signed up so far. In Orange, the three-year terms of at-large councilman Paul Burch and District 3 councilwoman Terrie Salter are up, but so far Burch is the only one to file for the election. West Orange’s city aldermen Shirley Bonnin and Mike Shugart, who have served the city since 1995 and 2004, respectively, say they plan to run for reelection. Dale Dardeau, who has served as alderman since 1995, is the other officeholder whose seat is up for election. In Pinehurst, Mayor Dan NEWCOMERS Page 3A
Orangefield Elementary library received a $4200 grant from the International Paper Foundation. The grant will be used for students to purchase books from the spring book fair. OISD appreciates the generosity of IP Paper. Pictures above are Mike Culbertson, mill manager, at the Orange Mill and Sunshine Copeland, OISD district librarian/grant writer.
Orange plans submission to HGTV’s ‘Home Town Takeover’ Penny Leleux
For The Record
Several members of the Orange community met Monday night at Roberts Meat Market and Steakhouse to discuss and brainstorm ideas to submit the city of Orange for HGTV’s new show “Home Town Takeover.” Ben and Erin Napier of the hit series “Home Town” will hit the road for their upcoming series to help a community revitalize the place they call home. They plan to renovate an entire town. The buzz started last week. The call for submissions was made Jan. 8, but Orange just caught wind of it last Monday and several people started making plans to get it done. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 7. Community leader Chris Kovatch said a friend of his posted it on Facebook. That is when he saw it. He thought it was a great idea and would be perfect for Orange. Kovatch made a simple post on Facebook sharing the submission post from HGTV and asking “Anyone game to work on this with me?”
Salter. “After he verbalized his support I went into action to set up a meeting, but I was not the only one thinking this would be great for the City of Orange.” “They say great minds think alike,” she said. Monday’s meeting was set to discuss the opportunity and what the city wanted to focus on for the submission. “This contest provides yet another opportunity for the people of Orange to come together working as a team for a common goal for the city,” said Salter. About 15 people were in attendance. Salter and Childs represented the council. Ida and Tim Schossow were there for the Greater Orange Chamber of Commerce. Several other members of the chamber, representatives of other organizations and commercial interests attended and had input Orange city councilwoman Terrie Salter feels the historic city hall just vacated will be a perfect project for “Home Town Takeover” to in potential locations to focus on. get it ready for its next life. David Derosier suggested People started chiming in, Councilwoman Terrie Salter focusing on 16th Street, citwilling to help including Or- was also putting a plan in ing many of the houses on ange Mayor Larry Spears, Jr. motion. She had also discov- 16th can be or have already and City Councilman Brad ered it on Facebook. been converted to businesses Childs. “I phoned our Mayor and Unbeknownst to Kovatch, he was ecstatic about it,” said HGTV HOME TOWN Page 2A
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS! Everybody Reads ‘The Record’
In Print and Online • The County Record and the Penny Record hometown news for Orange County, Texas
CMYK