Waelder seeks to fix collapsing bridge

Waelder city council hopes to use funds granted by the Texas General Land Office to repair a failing bridge on Avenue A. At its June 4 meeting, council approved authorizing City Manager Steve McKay to proceed with procuring professional services, engineering and management services in accordance with Texas General Land Office guidelines. The city is in the beginning stages of the process of procurement. According to City Secretary Melinda Caballero, the bridge is “collapsing” and is along the most direct way from the city to the Cal-Maine Food Inc. complexes.

Recently, the City of Waelder was allocated $623,785 in local infrastructure funds by the Texas General Land Office for damages caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Caballero said Harvey caused significant damage to the bridge.

Before any repairs begin, the grant application must be approved by the Texas General Land Office and the council must officially declare the project. In January, the Texas General Land Office extended Waelder’s application deadline to June 30, 2019. If the project is to move forward, the grant is not expected to cover the whole cost.

Other news from the meeting:

• Councilmember Michael Harris was reappointed Mayor Pro-Tem.
• Gonzales County Tax Assessor-Collector Crystal Cedillo was appointed to calculate and prepare the 2019 effective, rollback and sales tax rates for Waelder.
• Certification of Gonzales County Appraisal District 2019 Certified Preliminary Values were received and accepted.
• Council approved a re-plat of lots for Margie Benitez and David Noyola.
• Minutes were approved, bills were paid and financial reports were read and accepted as is.