New stop signs coming in Victory Gardens, Little Cypress

Orange County Commissioners Court Tuesday approved three new stop signs, one in Victory Gardens and two in Little Cypress, and started the process to get more stop signs.

Also, the court approved steps for two more subdivisions of land into lots in Precinct 3.

The stop signs are being installed in an effort to slow vehicular traffic. The county must advertise the intent to install a stop sign and then conduct a public hearing before voting on whether to approve the sign.

A public hearing was held to install the signs Patillo Road and Briggs Drive/Victory Lane in Victory Gardens. The community is off Texas 87 South outside the Bridge City city limits and in County Precinct 3. One resident in the neighborhood spoke during the public hearing and asked for another stop sign to be installed. She said cars, motorcycles, and even school buses travel too fast on Gaylyn Drive.

The other two stop signs approved on Monday were in Little Cypress off Highway 87 in Commissioner Johnny Trahan's Precinct 1. The signs will go at Little Cypress Drive and West Bluff Road, and at Pine Park Boulevard and Timberland Drive. Trahan said the signs at Little Cypress Drive and West Bluff Road should help slow traffic turning off of Highway 87.

County Judge John Gothia said the county will install information signs to let drivers know the stop signs will be coming so they can prepare.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Kirk Roccaforte has added requests for five stop signs in the Waterwood subdivision off Highway 62 outside of Bridge City. He is asking for signs at Teal and Widgeon Street, Teal and Pintail, Greenwing and Waterwood, Greenhead and Greenwing, and Greenhead (South) and Bluewing.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Robert Viator is also asking for a stop sign at the intersection of Waterford Way and Leitrum Drive in the Wexford Park subdivision outside the Vidor city limits.

The intentions for those new stops signs will be advertised in a newspaper. A public hearing for the signs will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 20, and then the court will vote on the proposed signs at a regular meeting that will start at 2 p.m.

Other business on Monday included the approval of steps for two land projects in Precinct 3. County Engineer Corey Oldman presented the conceptional plan for Langham Forest Estates Phase V off FM 105. The conceptional plan allows the developer to continue the county's steps to assure the subdividing meets legal standards.

The area is off Summerville Lane with 18.23 acres being divided into 16 lots, which will be numbered 80-95. A 2.55-acre detention pond to accommodate drainage has been reviewed and approved by the Orange County Drainage District.

The other site is considered a "minor plat" and is Wood Estates in Precinct 3 between Creek Road and Bessie Heights Road. A 1.9- acre tract is being combined from two smaller tracts and then divided into three lots. The proper filing and reproduction fess have been met.

County Emergency Management Director Joel Ardoin reported the county has had 165 new Covid 19 cases but no one from Orange County with the virus was hospitalized. He said the Covid cases spiked a bit in the summer, but the number is now coming down.

As the county prepares for a new budget year starting October 1, County Personnel Director Lori Ardoin had good news for Commissioners Court. She said the medical and dental insurance rates for the county retirees age 65 and older are not going up this year for the first time in many years. The county pays for the retirees to have a choice of two different programs based on Medicare.

The court agreed to a contract with McLennan County to provide housing and services for inmates of the Orange County Jail in case of an evacuation because of a disaster. Judge Gothia thank the sheriff's office for working out several agreements with other counties. He said it is getting harder to find other counties to help when we have hurricanes.