Commissioners authorize wide-ranging EOC/Expo fixes: parking, lighting, utilities and e-dispatch monitor

Bee County Commissioner’s Court approved multiple facility and safety improvements for the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the adjacent Expo complex during its Jan. 27 special meeting.

Commissioner Elibatus brought a motion to extend the EOC parking lot by 15 feet to better accommodate large vehicles used by county residents and first responders; the court approved the extension with funding not to exceed $50,000. The commissioner said the original parking design used a “standard vehicle” spec and that large trucks commonly used in the county could not maneuver easily in the current layout.

On drainage and surfacing between the EOC and the Expo auditorium, commissioners reviewed estimates and discussed options. Commissioner Olivares reported that full concrete would be expensive; the court agreed to a two-step approach that begins with filling the area with compacted material and rock (estimated at roughly $2,000–$4,000) to reduce weed growth while staff continues to solicit asphalt or reclaimed-asphalt pricing.

The court approved a contract to add photocells to the EOC outside lighting and to install a dimmer switch in the main conference room at a cost not to exceed $6,000, with the work to be funded from maintenance/repair funds. County staff said moving the outside-light switch to a more accessible location and using automatic photo‑cells would reduce energy waste and improve security lighting.

Commissioners also approved a request from the Tynan Volunteer Fire Department to install an e‑dispatch monitor in the EOC control room. Thomas Mingus, the volunteer department representative, said the system is a small computer and scanner that listens for tones and forwards alerts to volunteers’ cell phones; the monitor is currently hosted at a private residence and the department asked to relocate it to the EOC for reliable power, Wi‑Fi and backup. The court approved the move and directed county IT to coordinate to ensure the system functions within county cyber‑security rules.

Several items — including final paving decisions and vendor quotes for the breezeway asphalt — were left for staff to return with firm bids. No large capital appropriation beyond the approved not-to-exceed amounts was adopted at the meeting.