NEWS
Old Bowie Lake residents asks council for more time
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
More than a dozen property owners from around Old Bowie Lake spoke to the Bowie City Council Monday night expressing their concerns about lake dam repairs and the possible draining or lowering of the lake level.
The council chambers and lobby area were filled with approximately 75 people. After nearly two hours of discussion, the council directed the city manager to explore more options and to work closely with the property owners, who suggested forming a committee to work with the city.
Dam inspection
The City of Bowie was informed last September about the poor results from an April 3, 2019 inspection of the dam, the first since 1970.
According to the report the dam was found to be “in poor condition in need of extensive maintenance and repairs.” The city was given until Oct. 10 to submit a plan of action including a schedule for work and completion.
In the response letter, City Manager Bert Cunningham provided an estimate of engineering costs which topped $193,500. The inspection report recommends doing extensive engineering studies and those costs did not include any of the work.
The letter states the city cannot afford the cost of engineering, much less the cost of making the dam a safe structure again. He asked Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials for guidance on options.
Mayor Bill Miller opened the meeting to public comments with 16 people stepping to the podium. The majority of comments urged the council to avoid draining the lake, which would destroy their property values as well as the lake which has been a fixture in Bowie since it opened in 1939. The dam was built in 1936.
Alan Miller gave the opening statement. The local banker is looking at organizing a group of property owners and has met with the city manager about the issue.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Runoff from the ongoing spring rains are bringing great benefits for Montague County lakes as they continue to slowly rise.
Lake levels
Amon G. Carter
May 7 – 100% full,
920.86 msl
April 30 – 100% full,
920.68 msl
Lake is full at 920 msl
Lake Nocona
May 7 – 83.7% full,
824.79 msl
April 30 – 73.1% full,
822.91 msl
Lake full at 827.5 msl
Members of the Montague County Commissioner’s Court face a lengthy agenda when they meet at 9 a.m. on May 13.
An executive session is listed for deliberation on pending litigation. The court also will begin the preliminaries of budget planning with a workshop.
The court will review an engagement letter with Edgin, Parkman, Fleming and Fleming to conduct the annual outside audit.
The sheriff’s office staff will submit several items lead by a request to purchase a radio console for dispatch, along with a memo of understanding between Flock Safety and the SO and an application for participation with the Law Enforcement Support Office.
Commissioners will finally close out the Federal Emergency Management Agency project 4223 for county flood damage during the spring of 2015.
Read the full story on all the agenda topics in the mid-week Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie Independent School District trustees said they wanted a mandate one way or another in regard to the $65.8 million bond proposal, which was one of multiple reasons it went back on the ballot.
While voter turnout out was smaller than the Nov. 7, 2023 election, the mandate was clear as 73.28% of voters said no to the bond. Trustees had hoped a massive education campaign and a single issue election would boost voter turnout, however, that was not the case.
BISD asked voters to reconsider the same $65.8 million proposal that failed 855-1,079 last November. In that Nov. 7 election 1,934 people voted.
On May 4 there were 1,785 total voters, 149 less than in the fall. There were 477 votes supporting the bond and 1,308 saying no. The bond failed by 831 votes with only 26.72% saying yes.
Forestburg ISD asked voters to consider a pair of infrastructure centered bonds and the results were close. The most recent bond election for FISD was in 2018 and it failed 301-195.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
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