Nancy’s Kitchen
FISHING ORANGE COUNTY
Nancy McWhorter
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 1B
Page 4B
OUTDOORS Hunting & Fishing
Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 3B
RELIGION & LOCAL CHURCH GUIDE Page 6B
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 58 No. 11
Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield
Week of Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Commissioners reinstate pay rate for D.A. investigator Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
Commissioners Court was standing room only Tuesday afternoon as a lengthy discussion related to a previous change in pay matrix was the focal point for conversation. During the June 21, 2016, Orange County Commissioners voted to follow a federal mandate to make changes to the employee pay matrix for certain exempt status employees to go into effect later this year. The court unanimously approved a change to the pay matrix which is utilized by select exempt status employees. The change, which will go into effect on Dec. 1, 2016, will impact certain Exempt level 1 (E1) and Exempt level 2 (E2)
employees with Orange County. This is a federally mandated change based on a recent update from the DepartCarlton ment of Labor and will help make sure certain employees are not being taken advantage of based on whether they are salary or hourly or to keep from paying overtime hours. Reportedly four employees were impacted by this change, which included three being changed from exempt status to non-exempt status. One employee, K.C. Breshears, an investigator with Orange County District Attorney’s
BC changes employee insurance to lower cost Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
City officials will be switching medical insurance plans once again in an effort to minimize the costs to city employees. City councilmembers approved a recommendation from the city’s insurance committee to award employee medical insurance coverage to Aetna for Bridge City employees. The city will continue its dental coverage plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield and its employee life and accidental death and dismemberment plan with Principal. According to information provided by City of Bridge City, the purpose in switching
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from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Aetna for medical coverage was a simple decision. It was about keeping costs low for the city and its Jones employees. “The plan we have now costs the city $641.64 per month, per employee,” said Jerry Jones, city manager of Bridge City. “The cost for the same plan this year would have been $1002.24 per month per employee, and we can’t afford that. Nobody can.” The new Aetna plan will have a $6,350 deductable and 100 percent co-insurance, a $30 co-pay for regular doctor visits and $60 co-pay for visits with a specialist. Best of all, the cost only increased to $655 per month per employee for the city. “The city goes back and forth almost every year on these plans it seems,” Jones added. “We’ve had Aetna before. Changing providers because of rates is pretty common, so it wouldn’t suprise me if Blue Cross Blue Shield is lower next year.” The city will reimburse up to $1,500 for covered incurred expenses towards medical plan deductibles as well for covered employees and dependents. The city will pay $200 towards children’s coverage as well. The City of Bridge City received a total of 11 bids from four separate insurance providers during the insurance committee’s process of obtaining rate quotes for city employees. “It’s probably as good of an insurance policy as we could find for the employees,” Jones continued. “And it basically allows us to stay at the same coverage for our employees, which was important.”
Office, was also impacted. Breshears, who has been employed with the District Attorney’s Office since 1996, had his pay position reclassifed from E3 (Exempt 3) to E2 (Exempt 2), which would cause a
reduction in his pay of approximately $9,600 per year when it takes effect on Dec. 1, according to the Orange County Employee Pay Matrix. David Dubose, Orange County Commissioner of Pre-
cinct 1, requested the item be placed on Tuesday’s agenda for discussion and quickly turned the floor over to John Kimbrough, the Orange County District Attorney. “Sometimes being in a lead-
ership position requires you admit that you were wrong and when you made a mistake,” Kimbrough said as he addressed commissioners
COUNTY BUSINESS Page 3A
East Roundbunch swing bridge rehab could begin end of year Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
With one bridge repair project complete and another still ongoing, work on yet another bridge could begin later this year. Bridge City is an aptly named community because it is well known for its many historic bridges, most notably the Rainbow Bridge. While work continues on the Rainbow Bridge, and the Cow Bayou Swing Bridge project has been completed for several months now, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is ready to get to work on another bridge project. In late 2014, TxDOT held a public forum about the pending project at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center on FM 1442 in Orange to discuss the project and gather input from area residents. According to Sarah Dupre, TxDOT will soon begin the process of accepting bids. This process is expected to take place in September. “Once we go out for bids and get that in order, then we will have a better idea on when work on the bridge would start,” she explained. “The earliest construction will start is at the end of the year, or it may be in early 2017.” The TxDOT project will be to refurbish the East Round-
The Texas Department of Transportation will soon begin accepting bids to refurbish the swing bridge on East Roundbunch Road just outside of Bridge City. The project is expected to begin repair work in late 2016 or early 2017 and take approximately one year to complete. RECORD PHOTO
bunch swing bridge, not replace it. The project is expected to last approximately one year at an anticipated cost of $13 million, which will be paid for through federal funding. The project will include repairs and replacement of various key features to the bridge, such as the mechanical system and electrical system. Work will also include the replacement of concrete approach structures and bridge structure. Once the project begins, the East Roundbunch swing bridge will be closed to traf-
fic. This would force motorists who drive this route, which connects Texas Avenue to FM 1006, to use the proposed detour route of following Texas Avenue, also known as State Highway 87, to FM 1006 during the length of the project. Previous inspections of the bridge have revealed various problems, including cracked floor beams and extensive corrosion, which contributed to the decision to refurbish this historic structure. Its historic nature is one reason the project is expected to take slightly longer than
typical repairs or replacement. “We always take into consideration the historic significance of things, such as this bridge,” she explained. “We know a year is a long time for a project, but it has to do with the historic nature of this bridge. “The approaches will be new, but we will not be altering the integrity of the bridge,” Dupre added. “Although this bridge is not on the official records of historic locations, it has a lot of history to this area.”
Local man wins gold at National Veterans event Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
Local resident William Hendrickson has returned home triumphant after competing in a national contest in Utah earlier this month. Hendrickson, a resident of Pinehurst, recently returned from the 36th annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, which were held from June 27 through June 2. Not only did he compete in multiple events, but Hendrickson returned home to Orange County with two gold medals. Hendrickson competed in the discuss, shot put, javelin, power soccer, motor rally and the obstacle course. He was his gold medals in the motorized rally event and in the mo-
William Hendricks competed in several events and brought home two gold medals in the Motorized Rally and Motorized Slalom events.
torized slalom, also referred to as an obstacle course, which he has won each year he has attended. Hendrickson was in the United States Army from 1984
to 1986, but his military career ended abruptly when he was injured following a training incident. Despite his injuries, he has refused to let this keep him from living his life
and preparing year in and year out to participate in these games. “This is what I do, and this is my passion,” Hendrickson said. “It’s my 11th year to attend and it is the 11th year I have won the gold medal in the obstacle course.” According to its official website, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games are an outgrowth of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ historic involvement in wheelchair sports. Wheelchair sports had their beginning in the aftermath of World War II, when young disabled Veterans began playing wheelchair basketball in VA hospitals throughout the United States. Interest in wheelchair basketball soon spread to other
HENDRICKSON Page 3A