Parker named to Texas Water Development Board

Olney Mayor Pro Tem Tom Parker scored a position on the Texas Water Development Board a move he hopes will bring the City of Olney closer to fixing its aging water infrastructure. Mr. Parker sits on the Region B Regional Water Planning Area, which encompasses all or parts of 11 counties in north central Texas bordering the Red River. Olney is the only city in Young County that lies within Region B, he said.

Mr. Parker began campaigning for a seat on the planning committee after meeting earlier this year in Austin with state Sen. Charles Perry, who chairs the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs.

Mr. Parker went to Austin to lobby for between $14-60 million in state funds or grants to repair Olney’s water infrastructure.

“During those conversations with them … it became apparent that [getting a seat on the regional water development board] was a way to direct monies or projects in our region but we had never had a seat at the table,” he said.

The city’s water infrastructure woes came to a head last March when a water main burst in a pasture outside of Olney, causing a total shutdown of the water system from March 6-8. The City lost approximately 1.5 million gallons of water and closed schools and Olney Hamilton Hospital during the shutdown.

Mr. Parker and Olney Industrial Development Corporation board member Franklin Fisher, an engineer, quickly came up with a plan to ring the city with a new system of pipes, valves, and water storage tanks that will alleviate the frequent repairs to the existing pipes. The City’s engineers of record, Corlett Probst & Boyd, approved the plans and the City submitted them to the state water board for approval.

Mr. Parker will sit on the committee that helps direct where the more than $1 billion allocated by the Legislature this year to fix failing water infrastructure within rural Texas. He anticipates that these projects, including Olney’s bid, will come up for a vote next month and could be funded as soon as October. Olney Public Works Director Michael Jacoba recently estimated that his crews repair, on average, seven pipe breaks per month.