Commissioners Court Briefs
Old Jail public restroom project advances Young County Commissioners voted unanimously at their March 9 meeting to authorize engineering plans for renovations to the county’s century-old jail building on the courthouse square. The plan would convert the building’s ground floor into public restrooms to serve events and visitors downtown.
The Old Jail has been a point of debate for years as county officials and members of the local historical commission struggled to determine how to preserve and repurpose the aging structure.
Justin Gilmore, an architect working with the county, presented a concept that would install a large public restroom facility inside the building while leaving its historic exterior untouched.
The proposed design includes seven women’s toilets and a men’s restroom with three toilets and three urinals, along with a family restroom and water bottle filling stations. Gilmore said the facility could serve crowds of 1,000 to 1,500 people during events on the courthouse square.
Renovation costs are estimated between $450,000 and $550,000, with engineering services expected to cost about $55,000. The project would also require the installation of an ADA-accessible ramp at the building entrance.
Commissioners said the project would both preserve the historic building and give it a practical use.
County joins Olney TIRZ effort
The court also approved an agreement allowing Young County to participate in Olney’s proposed Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, an economic development tool designed to encourage new investment and manufacturing within a designated area of the city.
Olney Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Tom Parker presented the revised agreement to commissioners, noting that the city had incorporated changes requested by the county during earlier discussions.
Under the agreement, the governing board for the TIRZ will include two representatives appointed by the City of Olney, two from the Olney Economic Development Corporation and two representatives from Young County. The Hamilton Hospital board will also have the option to appoint a representative if it chooses to participate.
One of the county’s seats on the board will automatically be held by the commissioner representing the Olney area, who will also have the authority to appoint the county’s second representative. That appointee may be another elected official or a resident of the TIRZ area.
The reinvestment zone allows local governments to dedicate increases in property tax revenue from new development within the zone to infrastructure and improvements that support economic growth.
Mr. Parker told commissioners the initiative has already generated interest from potential investors.
Since discussions about the TIRZ began, he said, two manufacturing groups have contacted local officials about the possibility of relocating to Olney.
Grant application for wildfire equipment The court also approved a resolution authorizing the county to apply for a federal grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
If awarded, the grant would fund the purchase of slip-on tanker units that can be mounted in the beds of pickup trucks, allowing them to be quickly converted into wildland firefighting vehicles.
County officials said the equipment would be used to assist volunteer fire departments responding to grass and brush fires in rural areas of Young County.