GROVETON–Trinity County is in line to receive more than $1.7 million in grant funds to help fix problems created by Hurricane Ike.
   County Judge Mark Evans announced the grant allotment during Monday’s meeting of the Trinity County Commissioners Court and explained that to receive the money, the county would have to submit a formal application to the state’s Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA).
   Ray Vann of Raymond K. Vann and Associates told commissioners the money has been set aside for the county but can only be spent on designated items.
   “The criteria for using the money is to repair something that was damaged by Hurricane Ike or to fix something that failed to function during or after the storm,” Vann said.
    Raymond K. Vann and Associates was the consulting company selected by the commissioners Monday to administer the ORCA grant and application.
    Vann noted there is a possibility that additional funds  -- possibly equal to the $1.7 million now coming to the county – would be made available in the near future.
    Evans noted after Hurricane Rita in 2005, the county received $267,000 in grant funds, which were used to install emergency power generators at nine different rural water supply companies in the county.

  Counties throughout East Texas received similar funding under an emergency generator program, which was created based upon a suggestion made by Evans to state officials immediately after Hurricane Rita struck.
  The generator project proved to be a great success locally when Hurricane Ike hit on Sept. 13, 2009, and knocked out electrical power throughout the county. The water companies that received the emergency generators were able to continue to supply their customers with clean water throughout the crisis.
   “This time the grant process will be very different but we will be receiving more money -- $1,758,000,” Evans told commissioners.
   He noted this money was intended to benefit rural residents of the county and that the cities of Trinity and Groveton have been allocated funds separate from the county. Trinity’s allocation is $513,350 while Groveton has been allotted $199,636.
   Evans told commissioners the cities would each have to apply for their money and that while there could be some joint projects with the county, Trinity and Groveton would be responsible for their own projects.
   Evans, who also serves as the county’s emergency manage-ment coordinator, said one major project he would like to see funded is the creation of a 200-bed shelter to house future evacuees.
   He said he has been in contact with the Trinity County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6899 in Trinity, which is interested in operating the facility.
   “This would be a shelter that would be complete with a kitchen and showers so that the evacuees could stay for more than one night,” he said.
   In addition, he said he would like to obtain additional emergency power generators. Evans said he would like to place generators at the senior citizens centers in Trinity, Groveton and Apple Springs.
   “All three centers are involved in providing hot meals for home-bound senior citizens and it would be a benefit if they could continue to operate during emergencies,” Evans explained.
   Evans added that more generators also could be obtained for local water systems to enhance the program begun following Hurricane Rita.
   He noted that after Rita, the Lake Livingston Water Supply Corporation, which serves Trinity and other counties, apparently failed to request generators from any of the counties where they operate.
    LLWSC serves a number of subdivisions in southeastern Trinity County along FM 356.
    Evans and others present for Monday’s meeting indicated that officials with LLWSC apparently tried to blame the county for not providing generators after their system shut down when Ike struck in September.
   “The fact is they never asked to take part in the program,” the judge said. “But that won’t be a problem this time. They sent me a letter back in November asking for a generator if we had another program.”

  Evans also suggested that the county could look at helping the nursing homes in both Trinity and Groveton, as well as the East Texas Medical Center – Trinity should they need emergency generators or other equipment that would allow them to function during sustained power outages.
   In addition, Evans said the county could look at upgrading the county-owned community center to serve as a storm shelter. Located at the county park at the “Y” intersection of Highways 19 and 287, the center currently is in need of repairs but could be fixed to serve as a shelter for residents of the Groveton area.
  The deadline for submitting the application with ORCA is May 28 but Vann told commissioners the state is now considering extending the cutoff date.