Plus – jail population on the decline, burn ban status and ESD No. 1 applications
Ann Powers
Editor
PALO PINTO – Palo Pinto County Commissioners approved a reciprocal use agreement with Bohica LLC for a free backup internet service for county buildings, given repeated interruptions with the county’s current provider, AT&T.
In exchange, Bohica, the parent company of CirraNet, gains access to the county’s towers to expand its business in the area. Those county-owned towers include Chesnut Mountain, Dempsey and Sky Ranch.
“As we’ve all seen through the last several months that access gets cut pretty regularly, then the county is down,” County Judge Shane Long said at the commissioners’ April 28 regular meeting. “Part of what they’re looking at is to be able to provide internet service to the area of Palo Pinto, but that’s totally up to the customer. What we’re looking at is trying to make sure we don’t lose that connectivity in a working fashion.”
Sheriff J.R. Patterson said his office has experienced interruptions lasting up to four weeks affecting vital services, including 911 dispatch. The new agreement will improve public safety, he added.
“We have been down for extended periods time,” Patterson said. “But we’re good, we’re covering, we’re providing. But it’s kind of setting it back 30 years when we do it.”
Mike Simpson, County Radio Systems Manager for Infrastructure Operations, said the backup service is not a fiber connection, but rather a separate, dedicated microwave link for county buildings. Emergency Services District No. 1 currently uses CirraNet with “great success,” he added.
Commissioners unanimously OK’d the agreement to initially include 10 years, with three automatic renewals – each for three years. Under the contract, the county is responsible for purchasing equipment for the courthouse and sheriff’s tower, not to exceed $3,000.
Simpson said the service should be installed within two weeks.
The current contract with AT&T is on a month-to-month plan and monthly dues are estimated at $2,342, according to Long. He told the Palo Pinto Press there have been approximately eight internet outages since 2023.
The interruptions are usually due to a fiber line severed in a nearby county, Long added. Bohica’s wireless microwave link solves that issue, according to Simpson.
“No fiber to cut,” Simpson told the Press. “And, the speed and bandwidth being offered, while not the multi-gigabit capability fiber can provide, will be leaps and bounds beyond the current backup sources.”
Long said the county currently has a backup system for internet interruptions, but it’s not powerful enough to cover all of the county services.
Burn Ban
Commissioners agreed with Emergency Management Coordinator Chad Jordan’s recommendation to leave the burn ban off.
“Everything is green,” Jordan noted. “You’re not seeing anything burn, getting out of control.”
Jordan said the county’s recent Keetch-Byram Drought Index average is 97, with a low score of 23 and a high of 229. The Texas Forest Service uses the KDBI to determine forest fire potential. It’s based on the daily water balance of precipitation and soil moisture.
The index ranges from zero to 800. A zero reading represents no moisture depletion and 800 signals absolutely dry conditions.
Check for burn ban updates on the county’s website at www.co.palo-pinto.tx.us.
ESD No. 1 Board Member Applications
The court is accepting applications for the unexpired term of a vacant Emergency Services District No. 1 board seat.
Commissioners appointed former Palo Pinto County Sheriff Brett McGuire to the position on Dec. 9, 2024, which he started following his retirement at the beginning of the year. Long said McGuire recently notified the court he was stepping aside for a new job as an instructor for the Weatherford Police Academy.
Applications are due at the county judge’s office by noon on May 9. They can be mailed to P.O. Box 190, Palo Pinto, Texas, 76484, or dropped off at the county courthouse, 520 Oak St., Palo Pinto.
Monthly Reports
For March, Patterson said the Palo Pinto County Sheriff’s Office:
- Delivered nine civil papers
- Wrote 55 citations
- Issued 163 warnings
- Recorded one water violation
- Had 943 deputy contacts
- Took 1,550 calls for service
- Made 61 arrests
- Booked 138 people
- Drove 58,048 miles
The average inmate population stood at 105 last month and dropped to 85 people behind bars as of April 28, Patterson added.
Following the November election and when new county officials took their oaths in January, Patterson told the Press grand juries were delayed, causing a backlog of cases. But that number is on the decline.
“Credit to our county attorney (Maegan Kostiha) and our district attorney (Jett Smith),” Patterson explained. “They’re doing a great job of cycling these folks out.”
Patterson said 70 – 90 inmates is a “good gauge” for the jail’s inmate population to operate the jail smoothly.
Fire Chief Danny Watkins said his department took 97 calls for service in March and 230 in the first quarter. That equals 2.5 calls per day and a majority of them are between 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., he added.
That presents a challenge for a county where 11 volunteer fire departments battle blazes to keep communities safe.
“So, we’ve had to get creative on how to get that effective response force to these calls while our volunteers are at work,” Watkins said.
Public Works Director David McDonald reported nine new permits last month, collecting $3,140 in fees. From that, $3,050 benefits the general fund, and $90 is sent to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in Austin.
