RESTORE BOLIVER MEETING NOTES
November 12, 2008 – 4:00 p.m.
Jefferson County Courthouse
Bob Wortham opened the meeting by informing the audience that all their individual questions would be taken in the hall following the meeting. Because of specific issues,
he felt it would more productive. He also announced a meeting of Driftwood Home Owners Association to follow the Boliver meeting. Bob confirmed that you no longer need identification to go onto the peninsula. He spoke with the Sheriff’s Department and assures the residents that the top priority of law enforcement is to protect the resources we have on Boliver Penninsula. Bob concludes by introducing Connie Nicholson with Galveston County.
Connie Nicholson – Branch Coordinator and Recovery Coordinator – Galveston County
Connie introduces herself as the Branch Coordinator and Recovery Coordinator for Galveston County. She starts by discussing the Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program.
This is money that FEMA sets aside based on the total disaster dollars. It’s usually 15% of the total dollars. The focus is reducing or eliminating future losses for the life of the property. Some of the eligible projects for this are property acquisition, elevation of structures and relocation of structures. The criteria for you to be eligible are as follows:
1. Your structure has to be substantially damaged. It has to have 50% or more damage of the value.
2. It must be in the flood plain.
3. It has to be less than 45 years old and owner occupied.
Once Galveston County does acquisitions of property, the property belongs to the county.
It is open space, it has deed restrictions placed on it and it can never be resold. It becomes the property of the county. There is a 25% cash match.
For this particular program, the state has allocated $10,000,000 initially. The county has to be the applicant for it. They will scheduling public meetings to make people aware. She expresses that the process may not be easy and could be very time consuming. It takes a lot of time for paperwork to be put together, revised and approved.
The next issue for discussion was private property debris removal. Connie introduces Garrett Fosket from Galveston County.
Garrett Fosket – Galveston County
Garrett explains that Bob Wortham and Pat Doyle have put him in charge of private property debris removal, this does include structures. He also goes over information regarding a packet made available at the meeting concerning debris removal. This packet is also available at Boliver Penninsula SUD. The packet is also available in the Beck construction trailer that is stationed behind the court house on Crystal Beach. Beck is the contractor the county has asked to assist in debris pick up. There will be people available to answer questions at that location. The telephone number for assistance with this issue is 800-679-2325. There will also be information on the Galveston County websites.
He states that there are requirements that have to be met for private property debris removal. They are as follows:
1. You must state why you are unable to remove the debris.
2. The debris must create a health or safety hazard.
3. You must provide ownership. A Warranty Deed must be provided for removal of a structure. Tax information is adequate for removal of piles of debris.
4. You must provide copies of insurance. If you have flood insurance, you are not eligible.
5. A Right of Entry Agreement must be signed by the property owner.
6. You must physically document the address, so that it can be found.
7. Label what you want the county to remove.
8. If possible, mark where the septic system is, where water lines are and below ground utilities lie.
When you sign up for this program, you will receive a form letter that states you are in violation of the Galveston County deed restrictions. It means that your property is presenting a health or safety hazard. This is the way you become eligible through FEMA. FEMA, as well as a state historic preservation officer, will approve each site.
Garrett concluded by explaining that this is a very lengthy process and that processing would start immediately upon receiving the packet. It is a process that requires approval from various agencies. Galveston County is trying to build documentation up and prove that your property is eligible. He introduces Brian Fike with Beck Disaster Recovery Services.
Brian Fike – Beck Disaster Recovery Services
Brian explains that Beck is a disaster management firm that has worked nationwide managing disasters. He describes the ongoing recovery process of Hurricane Katrina, and compares the recovery process to our own. He explains that Beck is there to be an advocate for us. The county has brought Beck in to mediate with FEMA, to confer with FEMA and to fight some of the battles on our behalf. To maintain all of the FEMA eligibility rules and guidelines, you will here them refer to things as PPDR, which means private property debris removal. They will also talk about ROE, which means right of entry. ROE is the form needed to give permission for debris removal. He expresses the importance of marking utilities and other things on your property that the contractor will need to know about. In the ROE process, you are not holding the contractor responsible for damage that happens. Beck will have someone on site to help guide the process smoothly.
Brian continues by explaining that you must be a homeowner and produce the proof of home ownership to be eligible. Material that is eligible for removal is generally things that cause a hazard or a threat to your health and safety. There will be a trailer set up and clearly marked Galveston Co. Debris Removal Center. Any questions can be answered here. The Beck green and gold bus will also be on the peninsula nearby.
Brian continues to express how long the process is and urges residents to be patient. It could take as long as several weeks to have someone on your property. After the file is submitted to FEMA, the property has to be cleared by the Dept. of Environmental Quality, as well as the State Historic Preservation Office. Brian concludes by continuing to stress that this will not be a rushed process.
Jody Henneke – GLO Commissioner for Coastal Resources
She begins by explaining that GLO is working to establish a line to serve as a temporary demarcation boundary of the public beach. We decided to use the elevation of 4.5 ft. above mean sea level, since this is consistent with the Open Beaches Act. In addition, the Texas Bureau of Geology considers 4.5 ft. above mean sea level to be the elevation at which natural vegetation grows along the upper Texas coast.
Jody continued by saying that the GLO had discussed this line with Gal. Co. and their permitting staff. Gal. Co. may use this line in issuing building permits for coastal construction and dune restoration until the natural line of vegetation establishes itself. As usual, permitting activity will continue to go through Gal. Co. for both emergency repairs and new construction. Shawn Welch with the county engineer’s office is the contact for permitting issues.
Jody concludes by introducing Rene Truan - GLO Deputy Commissioner for Professional Services, Mike Lemons and staff.
Rene Truan – GLO Deputy Commissioner for Professional Services
Rene began by showing index maps including Google Earth imagery. He gave the website information as www.glo.state.tx.us.com. He basically explained features on the website including frequently asked questions that might be helpful.
Eddie Fisher – Director of Coastal Protection
He began by speaking about the beach dune program and working with the county to manage the coastal erosion project. He listed projects and proposed ideas. The first project was dredging the innercoastal waterway. This is something the Corp. of Engineers does. 345 thousand cubic yards will be placed on beaches east and west of Rollover Pass. That is more than usual. This is going to be up for bid next week and will start before the end of the year. The second thing listed was the ship channel. 409 thousand cubic yards will be pumped to little beach. The time frame will be December to February. The third project listed was TXDOT dredging the ferry landing to keep it open to full traffic. 500,000 cubic yards are to be placed on the bay side. He also discussed some proposed projects. One project that is available again is Rollover Bay dredging. Material would be placed on beaches. There are dune restoration projects that the county would do to replace the geo textile tubes. It is the county’s decision. They could decide to do a dune restoration project. Another proposed project would be large scale beach nourishment (3 million cubic yards). They identified an area where the material is available. It is offshore High Island, Jefferson County. It would have to be permitted. It ‘s about a year or a year and a half away. The Corp. has identified additional potentially up to 2 million cubic yards in addition to the 500,000 cubic yards that’s there now to be available for projects along the peninsula.
He continued by talking about things that can be done now. Dune restoration is something that can be done individually, as a community organization, or through the county. An individual may permit a dune restoration project. Shawn can issue permits. With the permit process, there are emergency rules. This takes the state out of the picture, the county is able to issue the permit without sending it to GLO (under certain conditions). Usually we have a 10 day review period to make sure it is consistent with law, send it back to the county and they can issue it. With the emergency rules, that’s been taken out of the process to speed it up. They will be setting up a trailer to receive permit applications. This will keep the county from having to send applications to Austin. GLO looks at it on site, gives it to the county and they can issue the permit.
State Relocation Program
She began by speaking about the FEMA relocation project. She indicated that this program would probably not be applicable to anyone in the room because it requires you to move your home out of the flood plain. She continued with information about the state relocation project. This program does not have the flood plain requirement. Right now the allotment per structure is $50,000 for relocation. This money is not to purchase additional land, but to relocate your home to another lot. The land commissioner is trying to get the amount increased to $75,000 per structure to relocate. The commissioner is also going to talk about the 25% match. He will talk to the state legislature about using state dollars for this, so the burden is not put on the county or the individual tax payer. They are dedicated to helping the county put together applications. They provided handouts for the buy out process and the state relocation process.
Judge Wortham
Bob addresses the front row residents and expresses that their issues are different from others on the beach. A front row committee will be formed and the Judge asks that anyone interested in being involved should see Linda Kay Makin. He introduces someone from TXDOT and begins with a few questions.
TXDOT
Judge Wortham began with the first question.
Bob: “When we pass over High Island, do we keep the road?” “Are we going to put dunes up?” “If we don’t we’re not going to have anything.”
TXDOT: “I don’t have answers for that right now.”
“As far as I know, we are not doing away with Hwy. 87.”
Bob: “What are long term plans?” “Being 40 ft. from the ocean is not going to work.”
TXDOT: “Again, you ask the questions I don’t have all the answers for.”
He continued with information that the ferry is running a two vessel operation. One vessel operates 24hrs. a day. The second vessel is operating 10 to 12 hrs. a day as traffic demands. Both vessels start up at 6:30 a.m. The second vessel runs until 5:30 p.m. Rollover Pass bridge should be repaired by next week, at the latest Thanksgiving. The ferry is open to everyone. Debris removal along Hwy. 87 should begin tomorrow. They will start at the ferry line and head east to get all the debris off the road. Loop 108 will also be captured in clean up.
Carl Cheryl – SBA Disaster Assistance Office
He starts by explaining that in a disaster like this, there are funds available for everyone on Boliver. They have loans for renters, homeowners and businesses of all sizes. Businesses of all sizes includes anyone who rents their property, even for part of the year. If you are a landlord, this includes you. Of course non-profit organizations such as churches are included. They have extended the deadline for application until Dec. 12. There are ways to maintain your eligibility for the program until you get other decisions made and eventually take advantage of it. It’s important to complete your SBA application by Dec.12. This can be an important part of your recovery. You will have 2 months to close on the loans after approval. Once you close, you stay in touch with them. Then you have another 6 to 12 months before you have to take any funds. Cancelling the loan doesn’t eliminate you from the process. That means we put it on the shelf until you are ready for the loan. If you apply in the next few days, you could know by Thanksgiving how much money we can loan to you. You don’t have to have your insurance settlement or know how much money you need to borrow. They can come up with an estimated cost to rebuild. If the estimate is wrong, you can come back and tell them what you need. The back end of this is very flexible. The Dec. 12 date is not flexible. You must have your application in by then to maintain your eligibility. Receiving a loan from SBA does not cut off assistance you might receive from FEMA, insurance, grants or any other programs.
Jim Rich – Pres. Beaumont Chamber of Commerce
He begins by expressing what a great person Carl is. Carl handled thousands of loans after Katrina and Rita. Jim continued by saying that the SBA program is dramatically improved because of the lessons learned from Katrina and Rita.
The Chamber has been talking to the governor about some zero interest loans to help businesses get back on their feet. That program is still being reviewed. We expect the governor’s recovery plan to happen. That would be another way to get some quick money. That addresses business owners. This may be an opportunity, as a business owner, to do better and expand. There are other SBA loan programs that they can talk to you about. There are Small Business Development Centers. Conrad Cooper is at the Port Arthur office. There is also a Small Business Development Center at Lamar.
They are both staffed with people that can help you with a business plan.
Jennifer McKnight – BPSUD
She started by letting people know that BPSUD doesn’t need to know about their septic system. She says that there are important issues to share. First and most important is there is a boil water notice. When you do get water, you need to boil it for 2 minutes before you drink it. The state requires that we maintain the boil water notice until every single part in our distribution system is back on line. We will be under a boil water notice for a while.
Jennifer continued by speaking about billing. Some people got a bill this month. If you live in High Island and you have water service, you got a bill. This was the first month anyone was billed. If they didn’t receive your bill for Sept., they sent you a bill. No late fee was assessed. If you’ve received a bill, please call the office if you think there is a problem. As far as the e-bills, if you signed up for the service that sends you a reminder, you will continue to get that reminder. It’s an out sourced service and they can’t stop it. Only you can through your subscription.
She moved on to exciting news about getting the water line across Rollover Pass. Jennifer asks for anyone who notices leaks to please call. All leaks have to be fixed before everyone can be back on. They are asking that everyone help by locating meters and making sure they are turned off. She is posting an update on the website
with information on where applications are being accepted for service. Within a week of provided service, they will be mailing a letter with a form to be filled out. Once they get the forms back, they will go out and turn the water on for you. Every Friday they will have a notary at the old drive through location at the beach. If you need a notary for your application or to turn in paperwork, you may do it there. She will not have computer access. There is also a notary at the office. Starting this Friday and more often next week, they will set up a fill station. If you provide proof of residency, you may fill a container (up to 300 gal.) for free.
They have received a grant that will provide 20 jobs and pay up to $12,000 dollars. If you are interested, please call the office or visit the Texas Workforce Center in Winnie. The jobs will last up to 6 months and pays $13 an hour. The job will be assisting in repairing leaks, turning meters off, pulling meters, installing meters, field work and debris clean up. The BPSUD office hours are Mon. – Fri. 7:30 – 4:00. They are working out in the field on weekends. If an emergency comes up, please call the answering service. If you see one of them out in the field, feel free to stop them and ask any questions.
She continues with information on the website about areas that are coming back on. She explains dates could move a little bit.
Jennifer concludes with more information about the jobs available. The positions are available for people who have been displaced by the storm or that have lost their job because of the storm.
Galveston Co.
He addressed the issue about TXDOT and Hwy. 87 that was discussed earlier in the meeting. One of the priority mitigation projects includes elevating Hwy. 87 and relocating it. It’s an important priority to the county judge. It will be one of their main mitigation projects as they move forward. They will be hiring a consultant to help put packages together, not only locally but in Washington to get funding that they think we deserve.
Judge Wortham
Bob wraps up the meeting by giving a summary about the tax roll back. The school district is not going to roll back taxes. This can be a gain for anyone who has property on the beach. The date for the school district to review taxes is either Jan. 17 or Jan. 24. Whatever the value of the property is on that day, it will be that for two years. They will evaluate the value again in Jan. 2009, and it will be Jan. 2011 before they evaluate it again. If your house is not completed by Jan. 24, 2009, the taxes will be assessed at that value, and it will go for two years. So, even though we are going to pay about 5 months more taxes than we should in 2009, in two years you should get a substantial break. The only people who will lose on a system like this, are people who don’t rebuild.
He ends by asking the chairmen of the committees to step up and start making things happen. Chairmen should be contacting members before Thanksgiving to start working and planning.
Meeting adjourned
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