Chris Roark, croark@cherryroad.com
State Rep. Mike Olcott, whose House District 60 includes Mineral Wells, sent a letter to residents last week that refutes claims made by others regarding his and TxDOT’s position on the Turkey Peak Reservoir project.
One issue Olcott addressed in the letter was the Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1’s (PPCMWD) plans for the lake and the section of FM 4 that will be impacted by it.
Turkey Peak is planned to be located on Palo Pinto Creek immediately downstream from Lake Palo Pinto, approximately two miles northwest of the City of Santo, and upstream from the bridge over Palo Pinto Creek on FM 4.
Officials say a portion of FM4 will need to be abandoned and rerouted, a crucial step in the Turkey Peak project, which is expected to add 83% water capacity for Mineral Wells and the city’s seven area water wholesalers. Construction is set to be complete in 2028.
Olcott said in the letter that during a Republican Women’s meeting on Oct. 25 Howard Huffman, director of the PPCMWD, said that TxDOT had changed their mind about FM 4 and that the district was going to proceed with the Turkey Creek project even though there was not an agreement in place with TxDOT over FM 4.
When reached for comment, Huffman said that’s not what he said at the Oct. 25 meeting.
Olcott said many residents who live near Lake Palo Pinto approached him with concerns about losing FM 4 as a route to their homes. As a result, Olcott said, he scheduled a meeting with the regional director with TxDOT for November to better understand the situation.
Olcott said Commissioner David Salazar told him there is no formal agreement between PPCMWD and TxDOT regarding FM 4, only an unsigned memorandum of understanding from 2016. He said that MOU occurred before Huffman and Salazar were in their current positions.
“Not only does Mr. Huffman lack a signed agreement, it is my understanding that no one at TxDOT has ever given him a verbal agreement either,” Olcott said in the letter. “Yet, as he stated at the Republican meeting he said that construction would move forward with or without TxDOT – implying that he thought he could simply flood that section of FM 4 without TxDOT’s approval. I have since learned that if that had happened TxDOT would have undoubtedly filed an injunction against the project, which would have delayed the project indefinitely by tying it up in a legal battle over FM 4. This is not acceptable.”
Olcott said TxDOT was concerned that the removal of that section of FM 4 would pose a security threat to residents, such as causing emergency vehicles to take longer to reach the area.
Olcott said he scheduled a meeting with key stakeholders in January in Austin.
“At this meeting it became very clear that the PPCWMD had no agreement with TxDOT and that they had already determined that Ward Mountain Road was a county road and that it would not qualify as a substitute for FM 4, citing the large number of turns and steep grade,” he said.
Olcott said State Sen. Phil King expressed “outright dismay” at the meeting that the district “failed to work out an agreement with TxDOT before they filed their Texas Water Development Board application for a $200 million loan to complete the project.”
PPCMWD said its next step is to complete its appraisal of the FM 4 section that would be inundated and provide that figure to TxDOT, the letter stated.
“Despite the identification of a clear next step at the meeting in Austin,” the letter states, “Mr. Huffman and the Mineral Wells City Council felt it was appropriate to spend another $150,000 in tax dollars on a lobbyist to try and get the project moving forward. This took place before Mr. Huffman and the district completed their assignment of finishing the appraisal and getting it to TxDOT.”
Olcott said since that meeting he has worked with King, TxDOT and the governor’s office to find a solution. He said he is concerned about the increase in water bills, which he said is 146 percent.
Huffman, meanwhile, said he has not read the letter but said it’s unfortunate people are putting him “through the wringer” simply for trying to secure water for the Palo Pinto County area. He said he will make no apologies for that.
Regarding the plan for FM 4, Huffman said PPCMWD is still trying to coordinate the plans with TxDOT.
“We’re still negotiating with TxDOT,” Huffman said.
“My job is to make sure the people in this area have water.”
Huffman said PPCMWD has made efforts to involve Olcott in the process.
“We’ve invited him to sit down with our engineering, legal and compliance team to answer questions, but he has yet to get back to us,” Huffman said. “We would love to sit down and get the professionals to answer questions so that the state representative will have the information he needs so he can support water in his house district.”
Olcott’s letter also addresses comments made by Mineral Wells City Councilwoman Beth Watson at the Feb. 5 council work session in which she claimed Olcott’s office was trying to delay the project.
“It’s very obvious that there have been aggressive efforts to harass the city and the water district over the last 18 months,” Watson said at that meeting. “Most of this the average person does not see. But I assure you the legal fees and the project delays it adds up to increases in everyone’s water bill.”
Olcott addressed those comments in his letter.
“Councilwoman Beth Watson wants you to believe that my office has attempted to stonewall or delay this project,” Olcott said. “The fact is, if Sen. King and I had not gotten involved the county would have found itself with a brand-new dam and an empty hole in the ground to accompany an injunction filed against the project when they attempted to flood a state highway without an agreement with TxDOT. While I appreciate Councilwoman Watson’s passion about this project, I find myself wishing she had the same passion about accurately sharing information with the public and that she cared more about the plight of her constituents who are struggling to find a way to pay their water bills each month.”
Watson said she is unbothered by Olcott’s comments in the letter.
“He is late to the party on this issue, having latched onto the discontent over proposed changes to FM 4 among a small group of residents near the lake,” Watson said in an email to the Palo Pinto Press. “Most seem to be newer to the area.”
Watson listed a timeline of events that shows the history of the Turkey Peak project, including a 2009 City Council meeting in which the water engineer and the council discussed FM 4 relocation and working with TxDOT, as well as a 2023 newsletter from King’s office about meeting with city and district officials about project funding.
“The city, water district, Water Development Board, Texas Department of Transportation and Palo Pinto County have been working on Turkey Peak more than 15 years,” Watson said. “Meeting notes and correspondence indicate that the district and TxDOT have maintained a working plan on how to reroute FM 4 traffic for at least that long. It’s time to implement a solution in good faith that doesn’t break rate payers. People who buy water from Mineral Wells and the surrounding water supply companies are paying for Turkey Peak. If Rep. Olcott is so concerned about water rates in the area, as well as government efficiency, he would encourage timely completion of Turkey Peak Reservoir and a prompt, cost-effective solution with TxDOT that doesn’t strain water customers’ pocketbooks even further.”
