Latest news with #EctorCountyLibrary
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
5 named to lead emergency services districts
May 27—Ector County commissioners on Tuesday named the five Ector County residents who will govern the newly-formed Ector County Emergency Services Districts 1 and 2. The May 3 election gave the green light to the creation of Ector County Emergency Districts 1 and 2. Emergency Services District Prop A, (fire) got 762 for and 711 against. For proposition B for EMS, 749 voted for and 704 against. The election imposes a property tax that will be used to fund emergency services for county residents. The approval means a property tax increase for residents outside of the city limits but in Ector County. But it also means the possibility of faster response times for emergency services to those in the far flung areas of Ector County. County Judge Dustin Fawcett previously praised the citizen-led effort to get better emergency services. "It was an incredible effort led by citizens ... about how to solve the issue," he said. "I'm proud of the citizens and this was truly a county-wide effort with the community turning out." The commissioners named Patti Kappauf, Heather Burks, Randy Lightfoot, Kevin Searcy and John Turner to the governing board of the newly-formed district. The five will oversee both the A and B portions of the district. Members will later be elected by residents in the county. Fawcett said eight people applied. Commissioners also heard several presentations including one from a Kimley-Horn representative regarding the Permian Basin Regional Planning Commissions' Safety Action Plan for the Safe Streets for All Program. West County Road and State Highway 385 are both areas with a high number of major accidents. Many are caused by speeding, failure to yield the right of way and cars pulling out of driveways. The representative indicated Ector County and the City of Odessa can eventually apply for federal funding to address some of the areas that are the most deadly. Commissioners also heard a presentation from Brandon Westlake regarding the M-Bar Ranch Energy Project. The project is a wind energy project that sits in both Ector and Andrews counties. The project could be solar and wind and could eventually host a battery storage system or a data center. The group has not yet asked for tax abatements but will address the matter during a future meeting. One project in Andrews is a 240 megawatt for wind and generated almost $1 million in property taxes to Andrews ISD last year. The court also unanimously approved: — An invitation for Bid Specifications for Seal Coat Aggregate II, Project No. 2025-IFB-087. — Awarded for the Diesel-Powered Aircraft Ground Power Unit for IFB No. 2025- IFB-077, to AERO Specialties. — Accepted several grants including the Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant to the Ector County Library in the amount of $3,000 for summer reading books to give away. Also, the Texas Library Association/H-E-B Summer At The Library Grant to the Ector County Library in the amount of $1,350. — Commissioners also approved the survey cost/fee estimate associated with the future outer loop and donated land to house the future South Ector Volunteer Fire Department. The land is at FM 866 and Interstate 20. The land was donated by Rockhound Solar. Part of it will also eventually be home to a gun range for the Ector County Sheriff's Department. — Commissioners moved the decision to hire a human resources director to executive session and then in open session named Delia Ortiz to the position. — Commissioners agreed to raise the fees in the Ector County Library Rotary Room and Auditorium as the current rates are from 2003. They agreed to change the fees for the Rotary Room from $7.50/day to $25/hour and to increase the Auditorium from $15/day to $50/hour.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ector County Library is turning a new page
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- During Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting, leaders from the Ector County Library Foundation talked about funding and making sure they would still be getting the land that was promised to them. After some debate, county leaders confirmed that the new Library will be built where the Health Department currently sits. 'They made it very clear that it will be built at the site of the Health Department,' President of the Ector County Library Tim Ogilvy said. 'That was a concern of ours, too, because of the different rumors and stories.' Those rumors stemmed from the continued debate over the future location of a new court house. Not only was the location a concern for the library committee but also the ten million dollars that was in a reserved account for the library. The Library Foundation want the moved to its own account. 'Motion by Commissioner Simmons and a second by Mr. Hall to move the ten million dollars that they have previously committed as their first payment to the new library into the foundations account with a caveat that we can spend up to two and a half million,' Ogilvy said. 'Then any other fund after that needs to be matched by community donations.' The Ector County Library says that moving the money is all in an effort to be transparent with investors. 'Without the court behind us, our funders are like that's half the money,' Ogilvy said. 'So, if they are going to provide 50 percent of the funding and the community is going to provide 50 percent of the funding. We all have to be on the same page.' Securing land and funding is a huge step for committee members like Ogilvy, who said he wants a new library because the current one is run down, smells, and is not ADA compliant. Additionally, he says this new library will bring in new services to the community. 'Besides just books, they can have, ESL. We need ESL training, we will have the ability to do a lot of that,' Ogilvy said. 'We talked a lot to the new Hispanic Culture Center, and as Judge Fawcett brought up this morning, with 70 percent of the adults can't read and write, literacy is a huge part of the library as well as just community fun.' The new library will be maintained by the County. 'This is the Ector County library, which is being funded in a private-public partnership with these private funds,' Judge Dustin Fawcett said. 'Ultimately, we will be the ones running this facility. It will be maintained by the county.' The estimated cost of the new library is just above 30 million. That includes the cost of all furnishing and technology. The new library will also be completely funded through the public and private partnerships. There will be no cost to taxpayers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bookmobile coming to Ector County
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Say wow for the new 'WOW' words on wheels bookmobile at the Ector County Library. A van that will have almost everything you will find at the library. The van will carry books for children, adults, and young adults. They will even have books for readers where English isn't their first language. 'There are a lot of people especially at West Odessa and south Odessa who can't make it to the library,' Board Member Ector County Library Foundation Randy Ham said. 'Well, now we have a bookmobile that will go across Ector County.' This idea came about three years ago by Director Howard Marks, he wrote up grants and got the funding for this project. 'This has been a long time coming and we are happy to see it here in front of the library,' Ham said. If you want to check out the 'WOW' bookmobile, head over to the Ector County library, where you will see it in the parking lot. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
