By Ted Vega [June 1, 2017]
On May 23, 2017 a meeting was held in Houston, Texas. The purpose was a court required mediation session between the Galveston County, the owner of the property “Gulf Coast Rod and Gun Club”, and the Gilchrist Community Association “the care takers of Rollover Pass/lessee”, and adjourned after 6:30 pm, the owners lawyers advised them that this was the best way out of this long legal battle and there was almost no chance to win. So, the Gun Club has agreed to settle with the County and allow them to take possession. As a part of the settlement offer the Gilchrist Community Association had to have a board meeting and vote on any agreement. Over the next two days the board deliberated and gave their comments to me, and then I offered mine. We have decided to reject their offer of settlement and will fight them to the end using all our legal/political/public strategies.

The Gilchrist Community Association may soon be evicted by the Court, as ordered by County Court #2 Judge Barbara Roberts who had every legal right. She was given enough testimony and documents that a jury of our peers should decide the matter of the county’s right to take. I am embarrassed and so should she be. We want all to know we are still here. Galveston County does not have the right to take and she did not even allow us to have a jury of our fighting the battle against this abuse; most of all the keeping Rollover Pass which is a public navigable waterway that everyone has the right to use. Our Land Commissioner, the very powerful George P. Bush’s General Land Office and the evil way they have pressured our Galveston County to use their Eminent Domain power against this small defenseless community, all of the citizens of Galveston County, and the thousands of visitors who visit us every year to enjoy the Texas Treasure called Rollover Pass. Our County Commissioner for Pct 1 is Darrel Apffel. He has the opportunity to do the right thing for this peninsula by his vote to not agree to any settlement at the June 5 Comm. Court meeting. I am attempting to have a face to face discussion which he has scheduled for June 5, this is too long and the same day the Commissioners Court will vote, I am asking for at least some phone time, in the next day or I will certainly will [sic] have those discussions with him if he allows me, if not I will be discussing this at my next writing.

I will give the County Commissioners, Darrell Apffel, Steven Holmes, and Ken Clark all of the information that I know and can share to try to convince them of the facts so they can vote not to accept the settlement as offered, even the recent storm that occurred on memorial day the high tides and flow from the Gulf of Mexico it further shows that Rollover Pass relieves pressure and will flow water back out preventing damage to our beach and to the property owners on both the gulf and bay side of the peninsula. Our County does not have a flood control district and has not done any studies to protect the citizens on the peninsula, another reason to delay the settlement, we need more studies on the effects of closing the Pass.

At this point I want to say more nut do not want to jeopardize any chance for the county to end this. The Gilchrist Community Association is still here standing with the people, the bay system, and all of the aquatic, and wildlife including the newly documented migratory species that uses Rollover Pass, “the American eel.”

The Corp. of Engineers have enough new information to demand a new unbiased study with complete transparency not what the General Land Office paid a consultant to provide the numbers.

Signed,

Ted Vega
President, Gilchrist Community Association
[email protected]