By Brenda Cannon Henley,
A Bolivar Peninsula Community Wide Meeting was held on Thursday evening, July 25, in a packed to the wall courtroom. Chairs were brought in several times and folks stood on either side of the room, and in the hallway, listening to our Galveston County Commissioner Ryan Dennard. The audience had a wide mix of Bolivar residents, property owners, renters, business owners, and interested citizens. Commissioner Dennard led in the pledges to the American and Texas flags and he led the group in an opening prayer. (I personally liked that – a lot!). He then discussed the order of the agenda and introduced his family to the group. They were staying on the Peninsula for a week to better get to know the needs, the people, and perhaps find suitable resources for some of the issues.

Future meetings are planned for October 22, January 21, and one in the month of April 2014 with the date to be announced. The commissioner’s telephone number for appointments is: (409) 765-2639. He seems accessible and concerned for the Bolivar Peninsula.

The county is taking cost-cutting measures to help reduce the ever growing budget and debt payoff. Some services are being sent out of house in order to save money and allow for more of the actual dollar figure to be spent on services needed. Due to these changes, $148,000 will be saved in the coming fiscal year while $1.86 million will be saved overall from these changes.

The Galveston County Emergency Services District appointees were listed. They are Wayne Blanks, Sid Bouse, John Lee, George Strong, and Kate Veeder.

A sales tax election is planned for November to be paid for by the county.

An emergency shelter/multi-use building will be constructed in High Island. It will be used as a “command center/shelter” in times of emergencies and a community center at other times. High Island is the most logical point for this construction.

POSSIBLE multi-family housing was discussed in great detail. There are grant funds available that must be used for this purpose (we are aware of these from some of the last rounds of FMEA and other grant money). Pros and cons of such a project were stated and and Commissioner Dennard said no conclusion has been reached. He simply wanted the people to know that such money was available, but that the project came with certain “strings.” For one thing, 51 percent of the project would be for lower or reduced price rental income, while 49 percent would go at market rate. The reasons are obvious for this division in an effort to deter a criminal element, upkeep, law enforcement, services needed, etc. Many were interested in providing housing for those who would work on Bolivar, but wanted to know additional details.

Law enforcement per capita was discussed. Bolivar generally has two sheriff’s deputies patrolling a difficult stretch of land – from one end of the Peninsula to the other. We have the same number of law enforcement as does some other areas with many more people. Our enforcement is stretched (no pun intended) to the limit because of geographic location and dimensions. We are isolated with only two ways in other than by boat.

The water treatment plant and the new waste water system occupied much of the time. The Commissioner stated carefully…All participation is voluntary. No one would be made to get rid of current system (if it is approved and working) to go to the new system. It will because of demographics and design be limited to a rectangle shaped portion of Crystal Beach (from Monkhouse Road to Singing Sands) to provide needed area. A round shaped, as first planned, area cannot work. The area must be a nearly perfect rectangle. Discussion about where the lines would be placed, who would maintain it, who would own it, and how many customers would participate took place with many people voicing their concerns, dislike, and approval. Jo Ball, General Manager of the current BPSUD gave several explanations and offered opinions. He stated that at this time, the BPSUD had 3,800 customers and that included businesses, full time homes, and homes where water is on, but the people only use the property for vacation or rental. (That number has been debated several times, but this is the first time I had heard a firm number by someone who should know for certain). For more detail on this area of the meeting, I suggest you contact one of the appointees.

The buy out lot program (which is at a complete standstill just now) and beach trash/litter were discussed. The group that sprung out of the Bolivar BluePrint Committee (Pendeco) has declined to manage the program as they were unable to make it all work. (That was no surprise to most of us). Various county employees have assembled information about these lots, along with the programs, problems, and tough restrictions concerning the use of these lots. Citizens voiced the same concerns as our folks have mentioned on the various sites – danger, small animals, rats, mice, infestations, snakes, and generally unsightly conditions near or next door to homes and lawns where people try to keep the property up and clean and neat. The county does try to mow the lots when the grass/weeds reaches 36″ or when the county is alerted to the condition of a terrible looking lot. In addition to all of the FEMA use restrictions first placed on these lots, the county must also comply with state laws concerning the sale or leasing of County owned real property.

The Commissioner said he was open for any positive feedback or ideas concerning these lots and that he agreed something needed to be done. He asked:

1. Should participants be limited to property owners who share a property line with a buyout lot or lots?
2. Should common road frontage be considered as sharing a property line?
3. What should be done when lots are located in different subdivisions and share property lines?
4. Should corporate property owners be allowed to participate?

The lots must follow all FEMA guidelines, state and county guidelines, which include that the lots must remain “open space,” public property, public access, no structures, and other requirements. It is the hope of the County that any policy will result in a better and more frequent basis of upkeep than is currently possible given the budget, personnel, and equipment. Everyone’s favorite county employee, Lee Crowder, answered several questions and listened intently to suggestions.

Beach trash/dumpsters/litter/programs was openly discussed and several suggestions were made by audience members. One resident asked that the dumpster in High Island be moved (if possible and easily done) away from the base of the cross where the Easter Sunrise Service is held. Lee said that they tried to place them near a paved road for easier removal and access. The Commissioner is open to suggestions/ideas/plans and we have presented him with a new one that we are hoping to see implemented concerning a beach patrol of sorts re litter and trash. More to follow on this idea that has worked well in other cities and on waterfronts.

The need for a clinic and/or a pharmacy with regular service hours was discussed, as well as the improvements at Fort Travis.

All in all, Ted and I came away thinking it was a productive evening with a lot of ground covered, and we liked the new Commissioner who seems to care about Bolivar and her people. I suggest you call his office, make an appointment, and go in to see him, or shoot him a quick email if you have a concern, idea, or suggestion. He seems quite open to communication.