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Frio Road & Bridge | Precinct 4 Update | June 1, 2021

THE PEOPLE HAVE TO KNOW
I asked Commissioner Joe Vela, Pct. 1, how residents liked his weekly newspaper column. Personally, I thought it was a good idea, and had been thinking about borrowing his concept.

“The people have to know,” he told me.

HOW ROAD & BRIDGE FUNCTIONS
After Commissioner Vela’s May 27th column, I asked him if I could post a follow up. Instead of simply highlighting county road problems, I thought it was necessary to communicate how Road & Bridge plans to address them.

In addition to Commissioners Court meetings, we hold workshops– marathon meetings to discuss specific topics. So far this year, we’ve held two on the topic of Road & Bridge. The last Road & Bridge workshop was on May 20th, and we specifically addressed Goldfinch Road. Goldfinch Road is scheduled for a road rehabilitation project in the new fiscal year (October 2021-September 2022), unless Commissioners rearrange priorities based on unexpected damage elsewhere, or a significant drop in property tax revenue that forces project cuts.

If you’re curious to see how Road & Bridge dialogues with Commissioners Court, you can watch our 3-hour May 20th workshop here.

THE STORM SLOWED DOWN REGULAR MAINTENANCE
On a regular schedule, road maintenance is a full-time effort. But an unusual number of extreme storms this year has set back the maintenance program. Winter storm Uri’s freeze and thaw required an unscheduled response from Road & Bridge crews, compounded by heavy rains. May’s wake low wind storm pummeled trees into the roads, and clogged drainage systems across the county, using up Road & Bridge staff and equipment.

San Miguel Creek after the wake low storm.

Cleaning up San Miguel Creek.

Once the trees were cleared and the drainage systems cleaned of major obstructions county-wide, Road & Bridge moved on to road patching. Depending on when you read this, Road & Bridge already patched or will patch storm damage in all precincts, including the aforementioned Goldfinch Road.

A CHANGE IN THE PATCHING PROCESS
Last year, Ancelmo “Chemo” Ornelas was promoted to Road & Bridge Supervisor. He knew the county’s long-time process for patching potholes wasn’t working.

“Just putting coal mix in the hole is not working, and hasn’t been for years,” he said. He remembered some lessons from the county engineer that had worked for Frio years ago- lessons that were promptly abandoned upon that same engineer’s firing. Under the direction of the current County Engineer Roxana Garcia, who started at the end of July 2019, Chemo works on re-training the crew on patching.

First, the hole is cleaned, a new step in the process. Then, the hole and fill material is treated with a tack emulsion- a sticky substance to hold the material together, in place, in the hole.

“It’s like a Rice Krispy Treat” County Engineer Roxana Garcia explained in layman’s terms. The added emulsion keeps water from penetrating the hole and displacing the fill material, she said, which is why Road & Bridge patches had been less than effective for so long.

Eventually, Chemo is going to add “squaring” the holes as part of the process, but can’t spare the added time right now due to overwhelming demand from the storms.

PRECINCT 4 | HURT ROAD
Hurt Road was not on Frio County’s project list for this fiscal year. But regular maintenance failed to stave off damage to the road. And then an unexpected increase in traffic due to an oil pad site installation caused the holes in the road to become a serious danger. Last month, Road & Bridge started a rehabilitation on Hurt Road.

Today, the Hurt Road project is about three-quarters complete. It’s another place where County Engineer Roxana Garcia and Road & Bridge Supervisor Acelmo “Chemo” Ornelas have made improvements to road work methods.

Previously, Road & Bridge used soft rock on road rehabilitation jobs. Soft rock, according to County Engineer Roxana Garcia, will either powder when graded or break into sharp flints that damage tires.

This time around Road & Bridge Supervisor Ancelmo “Chemo” Ornelas used millings donated* by TxDOT rather than soft rock, and the difference is immediately apparent. The plan is to build roads that last longer, “paving” the way for a more effective maintenance schedule…

–written by Jose Asuncion, County Commissioner, Pct. 4

*”Donated” doesn’t mean “free.” Donated material has to be hauled from location, which can be as far as San Antonio, and then stored. We opted to use Road & Bridge crews over hauling contractors. But even that has a cost- labor hours, equipment hours, and fuel. The hauling has taken months, but the payoff of higher quality materials has been evident.

Tuesday, May 25th | Free Local Birth Certificates, Pro-Bono Paralegal Services, Free Health Screenings for Non-Insured, Free COVID Vaccines, and more…

The Tuesday May 25th Frio County Program Fair is shaping up to be one of the most comprehensive resource events we’ve seen in a long time.

Much more than tables of flyers and swag, here are some of the headliners:

Aaron Ibarra, Frio County Clerk | Free Birth Certificates
Birth Certificates are a basic required document to receive a State ID and a number of other services. Aaron Ibarra will offer free birth certificates that originate in Frio County.
http://www.co.frio.tx.us/page/frio.County.Clerk

South Texas Rural Health Services | Free Health Screenings for Non-Insured, Free COVID Vaccines
South Texas Rural Health Services has been on a tear through Frio County lately. As soon as eligibility permitted, STRHS used their mobile clinic to provide vaccines to a majority of the employees at Frio County, Pearsall ISD, Dilley ISD, and the City of Dilley. When the age requirement was lowered, they provided vaccines to the ISD students too.
The mobile clinic will be parked at the 2021 Frio County Program Fair, providing free health screenings for the non-insured and free COVID vaccines. The mobile clinic is equipped to provide much more, so a visit is recommended for any concerns about physical or mental health.
https://southtexasruralhealth.com/

South Texas Rural Health Services Mobile Clinic

Eva Perez, Paralegal, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid | Pro Bono Paralegal Services
Eva Perez will do intakes for several civil issues. Ms. Perez explains, “Doing an intake is very different from working on a case. My specialty is expunction law, so if an applicant is seeking to get their record expunged or sealed it is very likely I will be able to work on their case directly. However, that doesn’t mean that the residents of Frio county can only apply to get their record clean. Whatever their legal inquiry, I can do an intake for them as long it is a civil matter. We do have financial guidelines to qualify and certain civil matters are not accepted, but every case is reviewed by attorneys on a case to case basis.” Thank you to Judge Susan Ruiz-Belding for finding and inviting this guest.
https://www.trla.org/

Delma Pargas, Community Council of South Central Texas | Utility Assistance Application
Community Council of South Central Texas has been assisting eligible Frio County residents with past due utility payments. An application is necessary, and will be available at the program fair.
http://www.ccsct.org/

Christina Guajardo, Care Program | Free Diapers
Call the Care Program on 210-449-4346 on Monday May 24th before 4:30pm to register for free diapers. They will be available for pick up at the Tuesday May 25th Frio County Program Fair.
https://www.stpaulcdc.org/

Corina Martinez, Southwest Family Life Centers
Corina Martinez is an advocate/case manager for victims of domestic violence.

Other Organizations in Attendance:

Frio County WIC
Frio County Resource Coordinator, Sara Pichardo
Frio Regional Hospital
Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas
Texas Workforce Solutions

Tuesday May 25, 2021 (Download to your Calendar)
9am-1pm
Frio County Community Room
400 S. Pecan
Pearsall, TX 78061

Contact Mary Perez at 830-334-0067 for more information…

Organized by the Frio County Events Committee.

Was it a Tornado? No, it was a Wake Low…

When the rain finished around 1am today, the wind started. It shook mobile homes, snapped trees, and tore roofs. We checked our phones for tornado warnings, but found none.

That’s because it wasn’t a tornado. It was a wake low. That’s of little consolation when it feels like your windows are about to shatter, but for the nerds out there, a tornado is a “narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground,” according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory.

A wake low, by contrast, comes after the storm and does not rotate. According to weather.gov, a wake low “is a small area of low pressure that forms 30 to 50 miles (50 to 100 km) behind a line of thunderstorms…In some cases, wind gusts over 70 mph have been recorded with wake lows cause damage to trees and some buildings. In addition, winds can gust over 40 mph for 30 to 60 minutes over even longer as a wake low moves through an area.”

Paul Yura, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), confirmed in an email today that it was a wake low that hit Frio County last night and described it as a “weird phenomenon.”

Fun fact about tornadoes: “nobody knows the ‘true’ wind speeds at ground level in most tornadoes.” Tornadoes are rated in the F-scale and the new Enhanced F-scale. Wind speeds are derived from engineering guidelines, and have “never been scientifically verified in real tornadoes.”
source: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/

Frio River Flood Warning until May 19

For the most up-to-date information on road closures, flooded areas, anticipated openings, and other road events, follow TxDOT’s www.drivetexas.org.

Flooding and road closure in Frio County as of May 17th 4:03pm.

www.drivetexas.org can also show details on the affected area, including anticipated event end date/time.

Rain and minor-to-moderate flooding are expected to continue this week.

Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Kallio sent the following notice today, Monday May 17:

Event:	Flood Warning (why am I getting this notice?)

Effective:	03:11 PM CDT on 05/17/2021
Expires:	06:08 PM CDT on 05/19/2021

Alert:	The Flood Warning continues for the Frio River Near Derby until Wednesday evening. * Flood stage is 6.0 feet. “Flood stage” is defined as “The stage at which overflow of the natural banks of a stream begins to cause damage in the reach in which the elevation is measured.” * Minor flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast. * Recent Activity…The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 2:30 PM CDT Monday was 6.6 feet. * Forecast…The river will rise to 9.1 feet tomorrow morning. It will then fall below flood stage Wednesday morning to 3.6 feet and begin rising again early Thursday morning. It will rise to 4.9 feet early Friday morning. It will then fall again and remain below flood stage. * Impact…At 10.0 feet, Lowland flooding below Concan to Choke Canyon Reservoir floods oil well pump jacks, irrigation pumps and any equipment in the lower flood plain near and above Derby. * Flood History…This crest compares to a previous crest of 9.1 feet on 10/12/2018.

Target Area:	Frio, TX

Unofficial 2021 Dilley Election Results new Mayor, Council Person, and a Tie Vote…

According to the unofficial Dilley election results, which will become official when canvassed, Dilley voters selected Gilbert Villanueva Eguia as Mayor, Inelda Rodriguez as Councilperson Place 1, and a tie vote left Councilperson Place 2 undetermined.

Gilbert Villanueva Eguia unseated Mayor Obregon, who dominated elections in Dilley for decades. Obregon held the mayor position continuously since 2009, and had served as Dilley mayor as far back as the 90s.

Inelda Rodriguez will be serving as Dilley Councilperson after winning an election on her first attempt. At 244 votes, Rodriguez had the highest number of votes in the 2021 Dilley election.

Councilperson Joanne Rodriguez and Nathan Rodriguez campaigned to a draw at 212 votes apiece.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The city of Dilley will likely confer with the Texas Secretary of State to ensure accuracy before releasing details to the public.

The Election Code for General Law Type-A cities such as Dilley states that “a person must receive more votes than any other person for the office.” Since neither candidate received more votes than the other in Council Place 2, we know this is unresolved.

Here are some of the possibilities of what happens next:

–Provisional Ballots affect the canvass
Some people cast provisional ballots if they don’t have proper ID, questions about residency or legal name, or other issues. The voter is allowed to cast the provisional ballot, then “cure” it within a specified time frame by producing the required documents. The qualified, eligible votes would be added to the certified tally, and could affect the outcome. The number of provisional ballots, if any, were not posted with the unofficial results.

–A recount
Given how long it took for the unofficial results to be released on the night of the election, it’s likely the ballots were counted a few times before posting. If the tie stands after the canvass, the city could order a recount with the cooperation of the candidates. Also, a recount might allow the candidates and two appointees to supervise the tally.

–If the results stand after a recount, a runoff
After the recount and canvass certifying the canvass results, the city might order a runoff election that would have only Councilperson Joanne Rodriguez and Nathan Rodriguez on the ballot. A runoff would take place 20-30 days after the recount.

–Other Possibilities…

CASTING OF LOTS
I can’t find if the following provision applies to General Law Type-A cities, but in at least one part of the Texas Election Code, the tying candidates are allowed to “cast lots” if the recount does not resolve the election.

From KERA North Texas News: You may be wondering what it means to “cast lots.” According to Wikipedia, it’s a form of cleromancy. You may now be wondering what cleromancy is. It’s a form of selection where the outcome is determined in a random manner, such as by rolling dice or like we saw in Virginia, pulling a name out of a bowl. And using the phrase “casting of lots” instead of “random drawing” or “drawing names” harkens back to biblical times. There are several references to casting lots in the Bible. It was even how Roman soldiers decided who won Jesus’ clothes when they crucified him. Modern definitions point to casting lots as being a way to reveal the will of God, or other supernatural entities.

Why would a candidate agree to this? Campaigning can be extremely difficult, personally expensive, and emotionally taxing. They just might want to get the process over with. Also, elections cost the government entities time and money.

-WITHDRAWAL
There are any number of reasons a candidate may get this far only to decide that they don’t want the position anymore, and a candidate’s withdrawal is another way the election could be resolved.

Plumbers Without Borders Arrive in Dilley, Pearsall, Frio County…

One month after winter storm Uri, dozens of Frio County households are still managing with limited or no water in their homes. Many of the residents are elderly. Some are special needs. Some were abandoned by contractors who started the work and never returned. All of them are people who didn’t know where to turn as our local good Samaritans balance their volunteer time with busy work and personal schedules. There was simply too much damage in Frio County to reach everyone in a timely manner.

Enter Plumbers Without Borders. After coordination with State Senator Roland Gutierrez, local Frio and Dilley officials, and Water Mission, Plumbers Without Borders sent the first round of volunteers: Jeff and Tosha from Morgan Miller Plumbing of Kansas City, Missouri.

I have water pipes that are still broken because of the winter storm. How do I get help repairing them?
If you’re a Dilley/Precinct 4 resident, fill out this form: https://bit.ly/3bNX2Lj
If you’re a Pearsall/Precinct 1,2,3 resident, fill out: https://bit.ly/2Q5mvYa

Are they going to charge me for parts?
There is no cost to residents-in-need that suffered broken water pipes as a result of winter storm Uri. There is no application process, other than filling out the form.

How long will it take for them to repair my pipes?
Right now, we’re still getting a sense of the magnitude of the county-wide situation. Also, each home has unique variables, so we just ask for patience. Repairs and assessments have already begun.

Not everyone has social media. What are you doing to reach them?
The cities of Dilley and Pearsall have identified water utility customers through work orders that likely suffered damage as a result of winter storm Uri, and called them individually. However, we are still finding residents that never informed the cities of problems with their pipes, so we are pursuing other means of outreach.
The more important question might be: what are you doing to help your neighbor-in-need sign up for this service?

Frio County WIC Hosting Spring Event in Dilley featuring SA Food Bank, Farmer’s Market, and Latched Diaper Giveaway…

The Frio County WIC program is hosting a major Spring Event in Dilley on Thursday March 18, 2021, open to all Frio residents…

The event will be a drive-thru in Dilley’s downtown city park, including:

SA Food Bank Distribution
Farmers Market by SA Farmer’s Market Association
LatchedSupport Free Diaper Distribution with registration

LatchedSupport Free Diaper Distribution Link

Those organizations will be joined by:

Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG)
Texas Agrilife
Frio Regional Hospital
Methodist Health Care Ministries
Pearsall Health Department
Dilley Police Department
Music by: DJ Angel Martinez “DJ Jefe”

Date: Thursday March 18
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: City of Dilley Downtown Park
Follow Frio Pearsall WIC Facebook page for updates

Governor Abbott, TDEM Re-Request Addition of Frio to Individual Assistance List…

Frio set a goal… and we’re a major step closer to achieving it.

After the extreme cold from winter storm Uri devastated Texas, Governor Abbott announced on February 20 that only 77 of Texas’ 254 counties would be eligible for individual assistance. Frio was not one of them.

On February 21st, the state of Texas offered all excluded counties an option: “prove” you have the need. They instructed us to ask residents and businesses to fill out an online survey detailing the damage until our county reaches an unspecified threshold of responses. Then, maybe, our residents would be given the opportunity to apply for partial reimbursements. You probably saw the link on your social media feed…

As an elected official, it seemed like a daunting task. Filling out an online survey without the promise of something in return is the last thing any of us wanted to do while trying to clean up and make repairs. Much of our population with the most need after the storm probably isn’t using a smartphone. And judging by our census returns, Frio isn’t the “fill out a survey” type.

But we made it our goal. The survey was spread widely on social media by elected officials, jurisdiction pages, and involved residents. The City of Dilley Police Department printed color flyers. Frio County WIC directed their clients to the survey and assisted with filling it out. Commissioner Carrizales, Deborah Hughes of Red Cross and I went car-to-car at our respective water distributions, handing out flyers, explaining the situation, and assisting if necessary. Several other residents helped family members and spread the word.

Only four days after Texas made the survey available, Frio met the threshold of responses for Governor Abbott to re-request our county’s eligibility for individual assistance from FEMA. 92 other counties are still trying to meet the threshold.

Frio isn’t finished yet… We’re still awaiting approval of the request from President Biden. Don’t let up. Continue to make noise. Continue to fill out the survey. TDEM has added a call-in option.

Counties included in this request are Archer, Atascosa, Bandera, Brooks, Callahan, Camp, Cass, Clay, Coleman, Delta, Dimmit, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Fayette, Franklin, Frio, Goliad, Hamilton, Haskell, Howard, Irion, Jack, Jim Hogg, Karnes, Kerr, Kinney, Kleberg, Lamar, Lampasas, Lee, Leon, Live Oak, Llano, Marion, Midland, Mills, Morris, Newton, Rains, Randall, Refugio, Robertson, San Augustine, San Saba, Shackelford, Somervell, Starr, Titus, Trinity, Webb, Wilbarger, Willacy, and Young.

Thank you to everyone for your patience, perseverance, and participation,

Jose Asuncion
Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

SNAP Assistance and the 66 Texas Counties…

Frio landed on a good list today!

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has received federal approval to automatically provide replacement benefits for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in 66 impacted counties for food lost or destroyed due to winter storm Uri, which began on Feb. 11, according to Governor Abbott’s February 24th press release. The good news: Frio is one of the qualifying counties. The notice refers to “partial” replacement, so it is unclear how much of the benefit will be replaced.

Until this announcement, SNAP recipients were required to download a form, then either fax or mail their application to receive replacement benefits. No digital application tools were available.

Current SNAP recipients in the 66 counties receiving approval for automatic replacement benefits do not need to take any action and do not need to call 2-1-1 to receive their replacement benefits. Recipients in the affected counties will automatically receive a percentage of their February benefit allotment on their Lone Star cards by March 4.

Three days ago, Governor Greg Abbott announced the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) received federal approval to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to use their food benefits to purchase hot foods and ready-to-eat meals due to impacts from the severe winter storm. SNAP recipients can now use their benefits for hot foods and ready-to-eat foods, such as rotisserie chicken or grocery store deli foods, at retailers that accept SNAP anywhere in the state through the end of March.

Counties eligible to receive automatic partial replacement include: Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Blanco, Borden, Brazoria, Brewster, Burnet, Calhoun, Chambers, Coke, Colorado, Comanche, Cooke, Delta, Duval, Eastland, Edwards, Falls, Frio, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Haskell, Irion, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kerr, Kinney, Knox, La Salle, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lynn, Martin, Matagorda, McCulloch, Medina, Menard, Mitchell, Montgomery, Oldham, Parker, Reagan, Refugio, San Patricio, San Saba, Stephens, Sterling, Sutton, Terrell, Throckmorton, Trinity, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Waller, Williamson, Young, Zapata, and Zavala.”

FEMA Assistance and the 77 Texas Counties

If you’re from Frio County and reading this post, you probably already received notices about how to apply for individual disaster assistance. And if you already tried to apply, you probably noticed that only 77 of Texas’ 254 counties are eligible- and Frio is not one of them.

The Frio County Commissioners Court is working hard to make this individual disaster assistance available to all of our residents. Governor Abbott’s announcement yesterday, Saturday February 20 at noon, provoked the ire elected officials across the entire state of Texas:

WHAT ACTION HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN?

At the Frio County level, Judge Arnulfo C Luna, with the assistance of Commissioner Raul Carrizales, Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Kallio, and other officials drafted an Emergency Disaster Declaration to send to Governor Abbott on February 16th- a crucial first step taken early in the disaster to claim Frio’s fair share of aid.

At the State level, two days after receiving Frio County’s emergency declaration and request, Governor Abbott sent a request to President Biden for individual aid for all 254 Texas counties. “I am requesting Public Assistance (all categories), Individual Assistance (all programs), and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for all 254 Texas Counties,” the letter stated…

At the Federal level, as we know by now, President Biden approved only 77 of the 254 counties requested by Governor Abbott for individual assistance. Elected officials across the state are demanding answers, including the Frio County Commissioners Court.

⬆︎ Texas House Rep. Stan Lambert

⬆︎ Abilene Mayor Anthony Williams

WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

If you’re a resident:

***UPDATE 2/21, 12:30pm – Fill out this State survey to help the State understand the amount of damage in Frio County: https://arcg.is/uOrOb . The success of this effort will assist us with the eligibility to potential federal programs.
Track all of your disaster related expenses including but not limited to cleanup and repairs. This will prepare you for aid, whether it comes from FEMA or if another source becomes available
Take photos to document damage
Keep all receipts
Follow social media for updates, and share news with those without internet
Keep the pressure on local officials

If you’re an elected official:

To quote Dilley Police Chief Homer Delgado, “make noise.” Our legislators need to hear us. Don’t stop at the district level. If you don’t have contacts at the State or Federal level, make them.
__________________

I’d like to thank everyone who helped get us through the storm. Right now, there are too many residents, too many elected and appointed officials, too many examples of courage and initiative to even attempt to name names for fear of leaving anyone out. The response to this emergency has not ended, and some of us are still working round the clock. To everyone who showed up during this storm to help our friends, families and neighbors in Frio County…
Thank you.

Jose Asuncion
Frio County Commissioner, Pct. 4

Map of the 77 counties:

Courthouse Photo Credit: Constable Rudy Ortegon