Seminole Sentinel (Seminole, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 13, 2013 Page: 2 of 10
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Seminole (Texas) Sentinel • Wednesday, March 13,2013
News
Courthouse Exterior Bid Excepted
Cleaning, Restoration Project Expected to Begin in Late April
By Dustin Wright
Sentinel Managing Editor
A late-April start date is projected for
an exterior cleaning and restoration
project for the Gaines County
Courthouse, following action taken
by Gaines County Commissioners in
their regular semi-monthly meeting
held Monday morning.
Prior to Monday's approval
of a $202,802 bid from Mid-
Continental Restoration, County
Commissioners met with MCR
representative Howard Kinsel, who
was in attendance for Monday's
meeting to answer questions about
the project, primarily with County
officials concerns with water leaking
issues from the building's exterior.
"Most of your mortar joints have
AWSmoff
Iz&mMl
Seminole Police Dept
March 8 - Seminole Police Officers
were dispatched to the Seminole
High School campus in reference
to a student in possession of illegal
dmgs.
The student, identified as a 17-year-
old juvenile male, was found to be in
possession of synthetic cannabinoids
and was placed under arrest and
transported to the Gaines County
Law Enforcement Center.
March 9 -- Seminole Police Officers
conducted a traffic stop upon a
vehicle in the 100 block of N. W. 2nd
St., for a traffic violation.
During an officer's investigation,
it was discovered the driver of the
vehicle was in the possession of a
controlled substance.
The driver, identified as Sasha
Yvonne Curiel, 23, of Seminole, was
placed under arrest and transported
to the Gaines County Law Enforce-
ment Center for charges of posses-
sion of marijuana and possession of
opium/cocaine/derivative.
March 9 -- Seminole Police Officers
met with a complainant at the SPD
office, in reference to a complaint
SPD officers gathered information
and a report was made.
March 11 — Seminole Police
Officers met with a complainant at
the SPD offices, in reference to the
theft of medication.
Officers gathered information and
a report was made.
March 11 — Seminole Police
Officers met with a subject at the
SPD offices, in reference to a fraud
complaint.
SPD officers gathered information
from the complainant and an inves-
tigation is underway.
The Seminole Sentinel
Established 1907
Publication No, 498400
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Seminole Sentinel
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Seminole, Texas 79360
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Published Every Wednesday and Sunday at
406 South Main St.
Seminole, Texas 79360
Lynn Brisendine................Publisher
Dustin Wright........Managing Editor
Christy Flawkins.......Office Manager
Misty Ramirez...Advertising Manager
Leo Copeland............Staff Reporter
Amanda Wiebe.........Office Supplies
Annie Neufeld........Advertising Sales
Nina Shelton..........Flome Delivery
Craig Wall.............Mail Delivery
Periodicals Postage Paid at
Seminole, Texas 79360
The Seminole Sentinel strives to bring you the
best in local news, social, and sports coverage
for, Seminole, Gaines County and the surround-
ing area, in a timely manner.
With that in mind, there will be certain times
that there will be limitations to news stories, letters
to the editor and briefs, and their appearance in
our publication to you.
The Sentinel does reserve the right to edit and
restrict pre-produced stories and information for
space limitations, editorial purposes, and time
restrictions,
For further information or any questions re-
garding this policy, contact Dustin Wright Man-
aging Editor, at (432) 758-3667 or by email at
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broken loose, which is will allow for
water to leak past the stone exterior
and to the steel structure of the
building and on inside the facility,''
said Kinsel.
Kinsel said MCR would replace
the mortar joints in between the
Courthouse facility's limestone and
terra cotta exterior tiles with a sealant
joint compound. The switch would
allow for tiles to expand and contract
with weather conditions without
hassles of cracking issues seen with
morar joints.
’Our job is to make your facility
more water tight and ward off any
further deterioration," said Kinsel.
Kinsel added the project's exterior
cleaning process would include
the use of high-pressure water and
chemical process, which would bring
back "some life" to the facility, Icated
at 101 S. Main St.
"It won't be a 100-percent clean,
like at the time when the limestone
was installed onto the facility,"
said Kinsel. "But their will be a
noticable difference once the project
is completed."
County leaders are looking at
the exterior project in the wake of
the completion of a $6.98 million
infrastructure renovation project at
the three-floor courthouse facility,
which was completed in lated 2011
following a 13-month process.
The project saw improvements to
the facility's heating, ventilation and
air conditioning systems, interior
plumbing, electrical distribution and
fighting systems. The installation of
energy management and control
systems, as well as new fire sprinklers
and alarms were installed in the
facility.
Other facility upgrades included
the installation of new flooring in
portions of the facility, and custom
built cabinets, to name a few.
The Gaines County Courthouse
also saw the installation of energy
efficient windows and doors to the
facility - at a cost slightly over $1
million - as part of the project, which
was conducted by NORESCO, a
Massachusetts-based energy savings
company which specializes in energy
savings projects with governmental
entities.
Prior to Monday's bid approval,
Gaines County officials also
considered bids from Vinton, quoted
at $116,060, and Iowa-based
Karr Tuckpointing and $423,769
from Waxahachie-based Brazos
Restoration Waterproofing, Inc.
Gaines County Commissioners, in
late-February, consensiously agreed
to disregard the bid from Brazos
Restoration and disqualified the bid
from Karr Tuckpointing because
the bid did not properly address
bid specifications, dealing primarily
with whether the company could
successfully remove the green tinted
paint from terra cotta tiles fixed to
the exterior of the Gaines County
Courthouse, or a specific start date of
when the project would begin.
Work Begins on US 62 in Brownfield
BROWNFIELD - Gaines County
motorists traveling north on U.S.
62/385 to destinations in the
Brownfield community and points
north can expect to see some major
construction work over the next
several months, according to sources
with state highway officials.
The Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) announced
Friday that it is set to begin work this
week on a project that will make
major improvements to US 62,
through the city of Brownfield.
The $10.6 million project will
completely rebuild the existing
roadway from US 385 to the
southern Brownfield city limits and
remove the existing frontage roads.
Major construction work on
the project is scheduled to begin
Thursday, but contractor Allen
Butler, of Ransom Canyon, will
begin setting traffic barriers along US
62 early next week that will reduce
traffic to one-lane in each direction
once construction begins, said Jim
Combes, TxDOT Brownfield Area
engineer. The continuous left-turn
lane will also remain open to traffic.
“We know this is a big deal and
it’s going to affect a lot of motorists ”
Combes said. “The scope of the
work—rebuilding over 3 miles of
Brownfield’s busiest road through
town—is a huge task. Our goal is
to make sure we get the work done
in the safest and most efficient way
possible.”
With traffic being reduced to one-
lane in each direction throughout
construction, motorists traveling on
US 62 can expect slow moving traffic
and delays and are advised to watch
out for construction workers working
close to traffic.
“Work on the project is set up to
be done in three phases with work
beginning on the outside lanes and
at north end of the project, ” Combes
said. “Once the outside lanes have
been completed, traffic will then be
switched onto the newly constructed
lanes to allow for work on the inside
lanes.”
Work to remove the frontage roads
Law Enforcement
Center Passes
Inspection
The Gaines County Law
Enforcement Center once again
met the expectations of the Texas
Commission on Jail Standards,
following a late-February inspection
of the 32-bunk jail facility, located in
the 300 block of E. Ave. A.
Gaines County Commissioners
were made aware of the news in
their Monday regular meeting of the
Court.
"The Texas Commission on Jail
Standards wishit to acknowledge the
excellent work of the Gaines County
Sheriffs office with a Certificate of
Compliance for the Gaines County
Jail," wrote Brandon S. Wood,
Executive Director of the TCJS
in a Feb. 27 dated letter obtained
from Gaines County officials by the
Seminole Sentinel on Monday.
Gaines County Judge Lance
Celander, in updating County
Commissioners on the inspection,
said TCJS officials found two minor
violations regarding "paperwork"
issues.
"Other than those minor issues, the
jail commission was pleased with
our facility," said Celander.
Emergency
Coord, to Resign
Gaines County leaders will
be looking to fill a vacancy with
the Gaines County Emergency
Coordinator's Office
According to Gaines County
Judge Lance Celander in a
discussion conducted with Gaines
County Commissioners in their
regular semi-monthly meeting held
Monday morning, Chad Hallum, the
current Gaines County Emergency
Coordinator, had submitted his letter
of resignation last week.
According to a copy of the letter
obtained by the Seminole Sentinel
on Monday from Gaines County
officials, Hallum's resignation will be
effective on April 1.
"I am no longer able to fulfill this
assignment along with my duties as
Jail Administrator," wrote Hallum.
"I thank you for the opportunity to
serve the citizens of Gaines County
the past four years as the Emergency
Management Coordinator."
Hallum, took over the role of Jail
Administrator for the Gaines County
Law Enforcement Center in the
2012 calender year, prior to the exit
of framer Gaines County Sheriff Jon
Key.
No timetable was offered in Mon-
day's discussion of when the position
would be posted for applications by
Gaines County officials.
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Perez Construction
& Concrete Work
Sidewalks - Driveways
Retaining Walls
Curbs - Fences - Foundations
Licensed & Bonded
is not expected to occur until early
2014. The project has a construction
schedule of 18 months.
The specs for the project were let
for bids last month and Combes said
the projected cost actually came in
lower than expected.
“It came back below $11 million ”
he told the Brownfield News.
The plans include scouring the
existing roadway to its base, then
resurfacing it beginning at the city’s
northern city limits and finishing at
the southern border.
Some intersections along the
route will be completely remade,
using concrete instead of pavement
materials.
The concrete holds up to the wear
and tear of increased truck traffic
better than pavement, the officials
said.
New sidewalks and handicap
ramps will be added the entire length
of the project, as well as new lighting,
according to the officials.
Changes also will be made to
the intersection of the Lubbock
and Levelland highways, where
sweeping turning lanes are currently
in place.
Those lanes will be removed and
a 90-degree entrance to the highway
will be constructed, possibly also of
concrete.
Acceleration/Deceleration lanes
also will be added to assist in entering
traffic safely.
The most noticeable changes
included in the project though, are
the plans for the city’s southern
entrance.
The highway department is going
to remove the decades-old frontage
roads that mn along the Seagraves
Hwy.
The frontage roads will be replaced
with extensive landscaping, to include
grassy berms, native plants, trees and
eight-foot wide meandering walking
and bike paths.
Drought tolerant grasses will be
planted to the berms and landscape
areas, which require little watering
after establishment and typically
need mowing only two to three
times per year.
The City of Brownfield
maintenance department will be
responsible for all upkeep of the
newly landscaped areas.
Irrigation will be installed for trees
planted along the route.
TxDOT Engineer Frank Philips
has said that the highway would be
safer without the frontage roads.
“This stretch of highway is unique
to our whole district,” he said. “We
have major highways all over that
don’t have access roads and they
are safer than this is. Removing the
access roads won’t be the end of the
world, I promise you.”
All homes and businesses along
that portion of the highway will have
their driveways extended to the
refurbished highway.
The highway will remain open for
the vast majority of the project.
Intersections will follow the same
protocol and if a closure is necessary,
detours will be rerouted for no longer
than a week at a time.
The city’s most dangerous
intersection - where the Seagraves
Hwy meets Hwy 137 (14th Street)
- will be altered to more of a 90
degree intersection.
Other changes ufill include adjusting
the curb and gutters and removing
the existing center medians at that
location.
Five Hundred Dollars
I
For The Arrest of Those Responsible For
The Breaking & Entering of My Building
& Homesite at 508 NE 3rd Street.
Call 209-2453 or 209-1274
Pitching Clinic Signups
Seminole Girls Softball is proud to welcome
Bill Hillhouse!
Parent & Coaches Clinic
Open to the Public
April 5th 6pm-8pm @ Ambassador Room, $5
cover charge at the door. This will be an open
forum, pitching tips, videos, and other great
products. Everyone welcome
Pitching Clinic
April 6th @ Football Big Room
Registration forms available at Brown’s Ace
Flardware, 119 E Ave A
March 1st thru March 18th, $75 registration fee
Limited space, so get your spot Quick!
Private hour lessons with Bill Hillhouse
April 7th @ Football Big Room
Only 9 slots available
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Wright, Dustin. Seminole Sentinel (Seminole, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 13, 2013, newspaper, March 13, 2013; Seminole, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth786582/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Gaines County Library.