ORANGE COUNTY
Outdoors HUNTING & FISHING
FISHING Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 2 Section B
Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 4 Section B
SPORTS
Commentary Kaz’s Korner Joe Kazmar Page 1 Section B
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County Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 60 No. 15
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Group finds recycling option for Orange County Dave Rogers
For The Record
Curbside trash recycling could return to Orange County if enough households are willing to pay $10 per month. “We found out about this company and basically they cater to smaller communities that can’t afford to recycle on their own,” explained Sandra Hoke of Keep Orange County Beautiful. She and Deborah Bednar, President of Keep Orange County Beautiful, are set for further talks with Ryan Smith, CEO of Recyclops, a Utah company that says its mission is to make recycling as easy and accessible as possible. Orange County used to offer recycling service at the county landfill and Bridge
City had a recycling station at its City Hall before Waste Management ceased its residential recycling business in Southeast Texas. Orange County commissioners are supporting the Keep Orange County Beautiful recycling effort. Bednar and Hoke have also gotten a good reception by Kelvin Knauf, acting city manager of Orange County, the women say. County Commissioner Johnny Trahan pushed through a resolution for the county to provide the Recyclops bags for the first 100 people who sign up. “The county had been paying $300 per month for the recycle bin at county dump. So that [free bags] is a good incentive,” Hoke said. She said Keep Orange County Beautiful will offer
folks the opportunity to sign up for recycling at a booth set up during Shangri-La’s Scarecrow Festival, Oct. 8-Nov. 2. Recyclops advertises it will offer twice-monthly curbside pickup to households who sign up – if enough households in a community
sign up. Bednar says she understands Orange County would need 200 to 250 households to sign up to initiate the service. Information available on the home page at recyclops. com lists Orange County, Texas as a pre-launch loca-
tion and instructs those interested to click on the Orange County tab to sign up. Clicking on the tab yields the information that 300 households must sign up and when that number is reached, the company will contact registrants via email to let them know when service will
For The Record
West Orange agreed to go forth in seeking a $5 million grant to rebuild its sewer and wastewater treatment plant at its city council meeting Monday. Plans are to build a $6.5 million plant adjacent to the current one, with all crucial components of the plant elevated above the flood plain, explained Melinda Smith of Traylor and Associates. The current plant has been flooded in the past by hurricanes and tropical storms. The local match for the U.S. Economic Development Administration grant would be $1.25 million, Smith said. She said that cost would be split between West Orange, the Orange County Water Control and Improvement District #2 and the Orange
County Port and Navigation District. Smith said plans are for West Orange to finance its share with monies from CDBG-Disaster Relief funds. Smith explained the purpose of the EDA grant is not classified for mediation or floodplain relief but for expansion and creating new jobs and retaining employees. The end product will be “a significant increase” in capacity, Smith said, such that will allow for new plants and homes. West Orange city council members voted unanimously to approve an agreement with Traylor & Associates for administrative services Monday, then they voted to hire Arceneaux, Wilson & Cole of Port Arthur for engi-
NEW RECYCLING Page 3A
Orange puts wrap on 2020 budget
WO pursues new wastewater plant Dave Rogers
begin. According to the website, the cost is $10 per month or $110 a year. Hoke says she understands no sorting of recyclables is required and customers may pay online monthly.
Orange City Council agreed on a half-dozen motion to set the stage for the development of the Gisela Houseman Medical Complex on 20 acres at Eagle Point, near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Highway 62.
Dave Rogers
For The Record
The city of Orange wrapped up its $45 million 2020 budget Tuesday and took several big steps regarding the city’s future. Mike Kunst’s agreement to be the new city manager was approved by city council at a salary of $150,000 per year. More than $600,000 in hotel/motel occupancy tax
funding for 2020 was doled out. Council approved the plans for an $800,000 pavilion to be built this winter at the Orange Boat Ramp, with the aim to be finished in time for the Bassmaster fishing tournament in late May. Additionally, council approved a half dozen legal documents to nail down a 20-acre donation from Gisela Houseman of property
near the Interstate 10 service road and Highway 62 to be used for medical facilities. Plans are for the Gisela Houseman Medical Center to be home to a small hospital, out-patient surgery suites and a large array of medical specialists. With no one from the public commenting, the city held its second public budget hearing on a proposed tax rate of 80.69 cents per
$100 of value, a slight increase from last year’s 80.51 cents per $100. A final vote on the tax rate will take place at the next regularly scheduled council meeting, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24. There was no public comment on the budget during that Tuesday public hearing, either. The 2020 budget includes $1.5 million more money in the general fund than the updated 2019 budget, which got its final amendment Tuesday. However, the total amount of funds in the 2020 budget is nearly $2 million less than the 2019 amended budget. The new one includes $24.6 million for the general fund, $1 million for debt service, $8.1 million for capital outlay and $8.2 million for water and sewer, $2.2 million for sanitation and $1.3 million for special budget. Council members approved the 2020 budget Tuesday. All votes Tuesday were unanimous with all council members present. Mayor Larry Spears, Jr., thanked Kelvin Knauf, acting city manager, and Cheryl Zeto, city finance direcORANGE BUDGET Page 3A
WEST ORANGE Page 3A
Retired teacher Sandra Hoke lands 2019 Athena Award Dave Rogers
For The Record
She’s known around town as one of the Trashy Women, or one of the Garden Ladies. But mostly, Sandra Hoke is known as a woman who cares about Orange. “I know our community is so incredibly better off for having Sandra be a part of it,” Stephen Lee, President and CEO of First Financial Bank of Southeast Texas, said. “And I’m so very happy to recognize Sandra Hoke as our 2019 Athena Leadership Award winner.” Hoke, a teacher for two dozen years, mostly at Orange schools, was the 27th winner of the award presented annually to individuals who excel in profes-
sionalism, give back to their community and help raise up other leaders, especially women. The award ceremony was held Thursday, Sept. 5 at the Orange Train Museum. First Financial Bank and Capital Title sponsored the event. “It was very gratifying and humbling to me,” Hoke said a few days after the ceremony. I just do the things that I enjoy doing. And I have a passion for some of them. “I guess they used that to choose me, but I don’t think I deserve any recognition for what I do. I do it because I want to, not for recognition.” She and Deborah Bednar have taken on the “Trashy Women” nickname in their fight against litter as the leaders of Keep Orange County Beautiful.
This is in addition to Hoke joining Claire Smith as the “Garden Ladies” in 2016 when they founded Field of Plenty for Orange Christian Services. The garden has produced more than 11,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to help those in the community who face food insecurity. Hoke is also a Master Gardener who has led the local program in president in 2012 and 2015. She has started a Master Gardener program at Circle K Daycare. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church and a volunteer at Shangri La Botanical Gardens, where her husband, Michael, had been the first executive director before his SANDRA HOKE Page 3A
2019 Athena Award winner Sandra Hoke, second from left, poses with Orange County’s past winners of the award that recognizes women leaders. From back row, left to right, they are Jane Whitfield, Hoke, Vivian DeJohn, Becky Rutledge, Beverly Perry, Pauline Hargrove, Nancy Vincent, Gisela Houseman, Theresa Beauchamp, Pam Honeycutt. Front, Cecil Broom, Katherine Frey, Marcelle Adams, Betty Harmon. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers
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