County Attacks Courthouse Mold

After unseating a well-liked and respected veteran, it is truly an honor to serve as a county commissioner for Precinct 1, as it is indeed the most historic site of Calhoun County. We now maintain all of the historic areas, as well as the only seashell beach in Texas. Our county is truly blessed with industrial plants, farming, ranching, seafood industry, and oil and gas. This year, the commissioners court was very resourceful in bringing into our county Victoria Junior College, a wonderful learning facility for our citizens and students.
Our local tax base is nearly $4 billion with a population of 20,000. The old town of Indianola was the original location which led to the development of Texas. It was later destroyed in l849 by a hurricane.
As a commissioners court, one of the significant challenges we have faced is how to tackle the mold which tackled our courthouse.
Our three-floor courthouse located in the county seat of Port Lavaca was being used sparingly due to the offensive smells and other odorous agents. Calhoun County was spending money on dehumidifiers and other equipment to try to control the smell. Our 38-bed jail on the third floor of the courthouse was being reviewed by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and ultimately was shut down.
My background and past experience as a professional insurance agent gave us the leverage to assess the mold problems. With the support of the commissioners court, we hired a mold specialist to identify the type of mold we had in the courthouse. After identifying the odors, our next step was to hire an independent adjusting firm to assess the damage. The adjusters did their job well, and we were then able to file a claim with our insurance company. The insurance had already been notified of the existing problems. Calhoun County agreed on a settlement for a fraction over a million dollars and moving expenses. The courthouse was completely evacuated, and we spent more than $5 million to remodel. All of the county departments have returned to the now-remodeled courthouse.
As for our jail: Calhoun County was spending $4,000 per day for housing inmates out-of-county. The Calhoun County commissioners court proceeded to go for a bond election to build a 144-bed jail that cost $8 million. The bond election passed 4 to 1. We now house out-of-county inmates along with local lawbreakers in our new jail facility.
By Calhoun County Commissioner Roger C. Galvan, newly elected Second Vice President of the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association