The Hill County Commissioners Court met in a special session Thursday, July 17, and approved a bid for work on HCR 1240 (Wildcat Drive) in Whitney.
The court accepted a bid from JDR Excavation to perform the work. Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb and the City of Whitney have been working on a plan in recent months to reconstruct the road, which serves Whitney middle and high school campuses along with residential areas.
The cost is approximately $414,000, with the county paying for about 66% of the work and the city responsible for the remainder on its stretch of the road.
The road will be reshaped to better accommodate traffic and topped with asphalt.
The road closure was expected to start this week from Farm Road 933 to HCR 1248, and work was expected to wrap up within two weeks. Residents living along HCR 1240 will be accommodated to allow them to continue to access their properties.
Commissioners also approved the cancellation of the agreement between the sheriff’s office and Itasca Independent School District for a school resource officer.
Sheriff Hunter Barnes told the court that Itasca ISD will be starting its own police department, and the agreement is no longer needed.
In open forum, Sheriff Barnes informed the court about House Bill 33, deemed the “Uvalde Strong Act,” which will go into effect in September with new requirements for coordination between schools and law enforcement.
Barnes said that the bill includes some unfunded mandates that the county will have to fund, such as additional training exercises. There are also requirements about providing schools with certain equipment.
The sheriff said that several matters will need to come before the court once the county attorney reviews the new requirements.
The court’s next regularly scheduled meeting was set for Tuesday, July 22.
The Lakelander 