The BridgeTex Pipeline will soon come through Brown County, spanning a stretch from West Texas to Houston, and Brown County Commissioners approved the first steps Monday to get the project started in Brown County.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Joel Kelton received approval for BridgeTex Pipeline Company, LLC to install the 20-inch pipeline which will travel down and across County Roads 414, 118, 120, 425, 417, 408 and 478. According to Kelton, the company plans to run the pipeline alongside an old LP gas line, boring under each of the county roads listed above to install the crude oil pipeline. Kelton stated there will be no cuts in the roadways and that on County Road 478, there will be three locations where bores will be made for the pipeline to cross the roadway.
The pipeline will originate at a pump station, tankage and terminal at Colorado City, Texas and will travel approximately 400 miles to tankage at Magellan’s East Houston Terminal in Houston, Texas, according to Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. and Occidental Petroleum Corp., which founded the BridgeTex Pipeline Company, LLC. The pipeline has an initial design capacity of 278,000 barrels per day, which will transport crude oil from the Cline Shale oilfields to the terminal in Houston.
The City of Brownwood recently approved a 12 month lease between the Brownwood Economic Development Corporation and contractor TG Mercer in the Camp Bowie industrial area to store 63 miles of the pipe being used in the construction of the pipeline, which will be off loaded into the storage area from railroad cars for approximately 12 months as the project is completed.In other matters on Monday’s agenda:
*Judge Ray West announced that County Tax Assessor/Collector Cheryl Nelson’s funeral will be held on Tuesday; however, the courthouse will not close. He explained that each department head will be left to decide if they will close their offices or have minimal staff present to work so that their staff may attend Nelson’s funeral. A special meeting of the commissioners’ court will be held Thursday morning to consider an appointment to the office.
*Commissioners took no action after consideration of a burn ban. A ban was not implemented.
*Precinct 2 Commissioner Kelton received unanimous approval of adoption of the Texas Water Development Board’s Model Subdivision Rules as an addendum to the existing Brown County subdivision plat filing regulations already in place. These rules are dated effective Monday, August 26, 2013 and the Texas Water Development Board’s Model Subdivision Rules will control if there is any discrepancy between the two sets of rules/requirements. According to Zephyr Water Supply’s Mike Bills, must be in place for any water supplier to receive any grant money from the Texas Water Development Board. Dena Sealy of Sealy Engineering, a company that is assisting ZWS, these rules do not apply to subdivisions consisting of lots greater than 5 acres.
*Precinct 2 Commissioner Kelton received unanimous approval for making part of Vaughn Avenue in May, Texas, from Plummer Street, West 160 feet (in block 2 of the Sudderth Addition in May) one way, traveling from East to West. Kelton stated that this is a part of the road which is typically traveled by parents dropping their Pre-K and Kindergarten students off at the elementary school campus and that properties along both sides of this portion of the road are owned by May ISD. Kelton also stated that in the near future, Brown County hopes to convey this portion of roadway to May ISD.
*Brown County Jail Administrator Becky Caffey received approval of employee changes related to two new jailers Clinton Almgren and Juanita Kellems filling recent vacancies in the jail staff. Caffey also gave a jail count of 150 as of Monday morning.
*Precinct 3 Commissioner Wayne Shaw received approval for a private electric line to be installed at County Roads 321 and 620. According to Shaw, Housely Electric will be installing the line, which will travel down Hwy 377 to County Road 321, where a road bore will be made, the line will travel aerially over the railroad tracks and then travel down County Road 620 where a cut will be made to cross the caliche roadway, then travel (buried in the bar ditch) to a radio/telephone tower. The work will be done to county specifications according to Shaw.
*Brown County Commissioners unanimously approved appointment of Dave Fair and Robert Porter to the Hospital Authority Board, filling two vacant county positions on this board.
