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Nelson Street repairs may top $2 million

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The City of Bowie is like many other cities across the country dealing with aging infrastructure, recurring damage from natural disasters and a lack of funding to make all the repairs or improvements a community may need.
City officials are gathering cost information on the best option to repair the collapsed street and related ongoing flood damage on Nelson. The numbers are scary so far topping $2 million.
Renovation of the police department also has been put on hold for structural concerns which increased the cost and threw up a red flag from the architects for the 50-plus year building.
Nelson Street
On Aug. 21, following more than five inches of rainfall in the city, a section of Nelson Street caved in, prompting the street’s closure for safety concerns for any traffic going down the street.
The next day City Manager Bert Cunningham filed a disaster declaration anticipating the governor would proclaim a disaster for the Dallas area which experienced some of the worst rainstorms and flooding in its history. The state declaration came a few days later for 23 counties including Montague.
Usually, with a disaster declaration, a county or community becomes eligible for certain federal disaster relief programs.
Cunningham had hoped for that but as of Thursday, he said it doesn’t look like Dallas has come up with the necessary estimates. The magic number is $48 million in damage before an application can be made for federal disaster funds.
In the first week, engineers and building contractors were asked to examine the damage and offer estimates that the city staff could provide to the feds.
Thursday, Cunningham said the engineers are estimating $2 million to repair the drainage culverts under the street, along with the adjacent flow areas near the dropbox.

This photos shows the rusted bottom of this tinhorn that runs under Nelson Street near the park. (Courtesy photo)
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Senate District 30 runoff early voting to open

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Texans continue to go to the elections polls as voters decide who will face off in the November general election to fill the 30th Senatorial District seat.
Both the Democratic and Republican Parties will have party primary runoffs on May 28 as they try to select a candidate to fill the seat of Senator Drew Springer (R-Muenster) who chose not to see a second-four-year term after winning a special election in 2020. He ran unopposed in 2022.
There were multiple candidates in both party primaries back in March and no one was able to garner the necessary majority. The top two vote-getters will face off to determine a winner for the November ballot.
Early voting for the runoff runs May 20-24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Montague County Courthouse Annex Community Room. This is the only location for early voting.
On election day voting polls will be located in the courthouse annex, Bowie Senior Citizens Center, Nocona City Hall and Saint Jo Civic Center. They will be open 7 a.m.. to 7 p.m.
Those who voted in the March primary can only cast ballots in that party primary, voters cannot switch parties. Those who did not vote in the primary can vote in either party primary.

Read more on this story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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NEWS

County to bid SO radio console

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Montague County Commissioners will make plans to take bids for a radio console at the sheriff’s office after a portion of the unit went down.
That was just one of the many topics in Monday’s court session. An executive session to discuss pending litigation was tabled after County Judge Kevin Benton reported a conference call with the other party’s attorney and County Attorney Clay Riddle showed they were not ready for discussion and he asked it be tabled, which was approved.
On the radio console, the court has been talking about the unit since Sheriff’ Marshall Thomas reported the console has reached the end of its life expectancy of eight years and was having lots of problems. The county had applied for a grant to help pay for it, but it won’t be announced until June.
The radio system has two parts said Thomas and one unit has completely stopped working, however, they are still able to use the radio for now and handle 911 service. Judge Benton said in looking at the estimated costs it was expected to be just under the $50,000 bid limit hovering around $42,000; however, they also have found the unit needs five radios through which it can transmit from the two computers which will push up the price.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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Building projects lead Bowie City Council agenda

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Infrastructure projects once more dominate the agenda of the Bowie City Council when it meets at 6 p.m. on May 13.
A pair of proclamations open the meeting, one for Emergency Medical Services Week and National Travel and Tourism Week.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will present information on the substation transformer project, the phase two sewer line replacement contract, status of the infrastructure fund and plans for the budget.
A pair of public works requests will ask for $24,000 out of the infrastructure fund to buy nine fire hydrants and $29,825 from the meter tap account to buy replacement meters. Public Works Director Stony Lowrance is expected to make that presentation.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

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