Commissioners Court approved a road use agreement between the county and Lucky Bluff Bess, LLC. for use of County Road 300 and CR 299 to put in a battery storage facility.
The county and the County Assistant Attorney Bethany Espinosa went back and forth with the company’s legal team to make sure the taxpayers were protected should the roads be damaged in the process. A $1 million bond is included in the road use agreement.
“I really appreciate the coverage to the citizens,” Commissioner Sherman Edwards said. “I do like this agreement in place because it protects the county and the taxpayers.”
During public comments, environmentalist Joanna Friebele asked the court if the $1 million bond would be enough to repair the roads if they are damaged.
“The weight is going to be astronomical,” she said.
Friebele also asked if emergency management would have access to gates at the site after the battery storage is completed in case of a fire or other emergency. County Judge Brandon Huckabee later answered in the affirmative to both of her questions and stated the county was protected and first responders would either have access to a lock box or a gate code.
The only other action the county was required to take on this project occurred in 2022 when they asked for a variance to permit access to the project site without obtaining 200’ of road frontage on a 60 foot wide piece of land.
Ultimately, the original variance request was denied because commissioners then expressed concern about trucks being able to navigate the road without enough frontage and potentially taking out posts.
It was later approved with a 130 foot change.
Commissioner Dee Stephens, whose precinct the project is in, said he appreciated the company going above and beyond talking to the neighbors near the site to let them know what was going on.
A new way to help citizens suffering from blood loss was approved by the county with a service agreement between Erath County EMS and The American Red Cross Biomedical Services.
Community Resource Paramedic Colby Swearingen spoke explaining to the court that the agreement was to purchase a unit of type-Opacked red blood cells at $380 per unit, one per month.
The unit will allow for emergency transfusions associated with the Community Resource Paramedicine program for critical care patients and also for trauma patients such as those involved in a car wreck or other traumatic injury.
Type O- is the true “universal donor” and can be administered to anyone in an emergency bleeding situation.
“It would tide the person over until air medical can get there or we can get them to a hospital,” Swearingen explained. “It could save them from death.”
The units come from DFW on a refrigerated Fed Ex truck.
“This is increasing the level of care for our patients and you guys are doing a great job,” Huckabee said.
Approval was given for the county to enter into negotiations with HOK for the Erath County Joint Dispatch Center for architectural design services.
Emergency Manager Chris Brooks said all of the design firms were qualified by HOK had relatable design experience and was chosen as the top firm by everyone independently and as a group through the Joint Dispatch Center committee.
The court also approved two interlocal agreements for new telecommunication towers – one in the north part of the county on Farm - to Market 3025 and one at the new joint dispatch facility.
Brooks explained the NCTCOG is investing a little over a million dollars on the project and the county will be funding the rest of the project with ARPA and county funds. The final numbers associated with the project is in flux as they work through the project.