NEWS
State fire inspection of courthouse cites lack of second fire exits
By BARBARA GREEN
Montague County could face a major remodel of its 104-year-old courthouse if it is unable to obtain a variance related to the lack of a second approved fire exit off the top two floors.
In mid-July, County Judge Rick Lewis received a Fire Safety Inspection Report from James Scott McAnallen, deputy state fire marshal, citing 14 violations of the Life Safety Code. The county was given 30 days to respond to the state office detailing its intentions to correct violations, and a timeline for their completion.
The fire marshal’s office conducted an investigation into a complaint filed on the doors of the courthouse being chained and locked during business hours. Lewis said he asked about the specific complaint, but the inspector would not provide any details.
The only recent event during which the courthouse was limited to one entry point occurred during the June 29 criminal trial of Ricky Howard. All doors are closed with signs noting the only entry is through the basement where each person goes through a metal detector. There was no confirmation if this was the event where the complaint occurred.
Read the full story in the mid-week News.
Pictured: The fire escape slides that extend from the third floor of the courthouse to the ground. There are two slides on the building. (Photo by Barbara Green)
The Arctic air is here! Wind chills will plummet tonight, dipping into the single digits to lower teens for all of North and Central Texas. Make sure to check on neighbors & family, dress in warm layers, bring pets indoors and protect outdoor/exposed pipes.
Montague County will be under a COLD WEATHER ADVISORY from midnight tonight until 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Please take precautions.
Hear Audio Alert:https://hrpow.us/YEWQwEP
Monday a team from Brazos Electric arrived from Tolar, TX hauling with it a 22 Mva portable transformer and related unit that will provide power for the city’s substation while the new 20 Mva transformer is connected to the Bowie grid as well as the present pair of 12.5 Mva units.
Thanks to the soggy ground it was an up and down start as they got stuck, but they were finally able to get the trailer leveled. Nearby another trailer holds the series of connectors that will join that unit to the city’s transmission lines.
On Monday afternoon there were multiple brief power outages due to some issues with switches said City Manager Bert Cunningham, but it was all resolved by late afternoon.
Unfortunately the outages caused major problems for Comcell internet service which went off around 4 p.m. and did not resume until after 9 p.m.
The Saint Jo City Council last week accepted a request from its only full-time police patrol officer to leave active duty to be a reserve and named a new council member to fill a vacancy.
Councilors met on Jan. 8 to start the new year. Earlier in December longtime council member Carla Hennessey submitted her resignation after serving seven years. Michael Dennis was named to fill the position until the term ends in October when it will be on the ballot.
Dennis has served on the Saint Jo school board, as well a previous unexpired term on the council several years ago.
The city lost its full-time patrol officer as she asked to go to being a reserve. The Saint Jo Fire Department also got approval to buy a new pumper truck.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie New.
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