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Vol. 56 No. 9
Commissioners okay rental equipment
Record
BC Knights gift St. Henry with classic bronze statue
David Ball
Mark Dunn
The Orange County Road & Bridge department will go with rental equipment to do some roadwork projects this summer. The Orange County Commissioners’ Court approved renting a Bomag Soil Stabilizer/Recycler at their regular meeting on Monday afternoon. Clark Slacum, county engineer, said the county had the option of renting the equipment for either $13,300 month, or $4,400 a week, or $1,400 a day. Slacum said it would be cheaper to rent it by the month and use it for
In the heart of Bridge City is a new reminder of the ever present promise of hope and love in a world that often seems lost amid the confusion of life and human circumstances. A stunning bronze image of Jesus Christ has recently been erected roadside on the grounds of Saint Henry Catholic Church. With arms outstretched, the depiction of the Christian savior evokes a sense of the omnipotent power of love and grace available to all. A year in the making, the bronze statue was the initiative of Bridge City Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council. With the blessing of Saint Henry pastor Fr. Steve Leger, the Bridge City KC members began the process of commissioning the statue. The Knights hired Artisan Granite of Rhode Island to create the statue. “There were many images available for us to consider,” said Ron Jackson, a member of the Bridge City Knights of Columbus, “But we inevitably chose an image depicting the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” the namesake of our Bridge City group.” Fr. Leger concurred and artists began the casting of the bronze image. Initially, the statue was expected to be completed and received at the parish in late autumn 2013. After the final casting, however, the manufacturer informed the group that there were minuet flaws in the details on the base of the statue. The Bridge City Knights were offered the option of accepting the statue as it was by the expected delivery date or wait longer for the recasting of the statue. “The flaws in the details were very minor,” Jackson said, “But we decided that since the statue would last for hundreds of years that we
For The Record
BC resident Steve Bisson appeals for help Steve Bisson, a 1974 Bridge City High School graduate, is on a waiting list. A waiting list for people that can’t wait, but still have to. He knows the folks at St. Lukes are working really hard to find a liver to transplant into his body. But now he is not only running out of time, but also, running out of money. Steve has to drive back and forth to Houston all the time for his medical needs. He has no one to help him and now he can not afford to pay his doctor bills. Please, if you can donate to help Steve, call or go to Firestone Credit Union (409-697-2461) where an account has been set up under Steve Bisson, or call him at home at 409-735-5914.
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Week of Wednesday, June 11, 2014
For The Record
Slacum
two months. The commissioners agreed. Insurance will be added for the equipment. Douglas Manning, assistant county attorney, announced after a closed meeting he will contact G&G Enterprises about remaining items on a punch list to be completed for the Orange County Convention and Expo Center. The project must be completed by December 31, 2014 and the county will request retainage funds. G&G was awarded the $10,560,000 bid in 2011. The cost of the center was $13.2 million, with $10.7 million being provided through various grants and money available to the county, and the C.H.A.M.P.S. (Community Hands Assembling a MultiPurpose Structure) board was looking to raise the remaining $2.9 million through the private sector. Federal funds already approved for the center totaled $9.86 million, as long as the construction is completed within a 24-month period, according to C.H.A.M.P.S. documentation. Commissioners also approved travel expenses for County Treasurer Christy Khoury, Assistant Chief Deputy Missy Pilsbury and Election Administrator Tina Barrow for training. Before adjourning county commissioners wished each other and all Orange County dads a Happy Father’s Day.
A new bronze statue of Jesus Christ is a gift to St. Henry Catholic Church by the Bridge City Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
Fr. Steve Leger blesses the new bronze statue of Jesus Christ during dedication ceremonies at St. Henry Catholic Church. RECORD PHOTO: Ron Jackson
should get it right the first time.” Thus the first completed bronze statue was melted back down and began the process of recasting while the Bridge City Knights of Columbus waited word on the progress of the future Saint Henry heirloom. Finally, in May almost a year later, the Bridge City Knights of Columbus received shipment of the statue. “It was beautiful,” Jackson said. The Bridge City Knights selected the location for the statue in front of Saint Henry Catholic Church on West Roundbunch Road. Mark Frey of Frey Landscaping in Orange built the foundation for the statue and later provided the landscaping around the monument. The limestone stone work for the foundation was donated by Sydney Badon of Groves. Embedded into the limestone is a plaque the reads in Latin, “Venite Ad Me Omes,” and translated below it in English, “Come to me all.” The remainder of the inscription reads, “A gift from the Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council #3406 to St. Henry Catholic Church, June 1, 2014.” According to Jackson, June 1, was selected as the date for the dedication of the statue immediately following 10:30 services. “As it turns out, the Catholic Mass for Sunday, June 1, celebrated the ‘Ascension of our Lord.’ It was more than coincidental. We couldn’t have picked a more appropriate day for the dedication. It just turned out that way.” A brief ceremony was held following the Sunday church service that included the blessing of the statue by Fr. Leger. The Bridge City Knights of
BC KNIGHTS Page 3A
Demand outstripping supplies in ammo sales David Ball
For The Record
Those of a certain age who grew up in the South remember nearly everyone owned a .22 caliber rifle. But what good is a rifle if you can’t find ammunition? That’s a quandary many are facing who can’t find ammunition for certain firearms. In fact, these hard to find ammo are immediately snatched up by customers when they do arrive or sold on the Internet for many times the original price. David Scott of Four Seasons Guns in Orange said ammunition for .22 magnums, .380s, 300 black-outs, .32s, .25s and .30-30s are also difficult to obtain. “We have plenty of hollow rounds. It’s target ammo that’s hard to get,” Scott said. Since supplies is running short, thousands of gun owners are buying and hoarding am-
Ray Fontenot, a Louisiana native and Orange County resident, worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Consolidated Steel Ship Yard, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and at DuPont in Orange before retiring. RECORD PHOTO: David Ball
munition. It may be another six or seven months before things return to normal. John Troquille, of Ray’s Pawn Shop in Bridge City, is beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. He said his store has been receiving in the past two weeks more .22 caliber rounds than they have the last year-and-ahalf and .357 ammunition. However, .380 target rounds are also hard for him to get. “Nine millimeter was hard to get and now we have it,” Troquille said. “It (supplies) could change in a week. It’s hard for everybody to get .22 caliber ammo. It’s (low supplies) is fizzling out and we’re getting it in stock.” Toquille also said some are purchasing the ammunition in stores and selling it on the Internet at three to four times the price. While the practice is legal, he said he wouldn’t buy
AMMO SUPPLY Page 3A
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