Milam Commissioners select contractor for annex renovations
Milam County Commissioners selected Cameron’s own EBCO as the general contractor for the Milam County Annex project during a meeting Monday.
Commissioners selected EBCO’s bid of $3.66 million from a slate of eight contractors for the project to renovate the existing former Cameron Hospital building for use as a County Annex. Construction on the project will begin later this year.
Milam County received a grant in the amount of $4.7 million for the renovation project from the Economic Development Corporation (EDA).
Commissioners also selected nine people for its Milam County Medical Task Force. Collier Perry, Ward Roddam, Troy Zinn, Courtney Paulson, Kain Dodd, Nathan Fuchs, John Egger, Robert Kirkpatrick and Pastor Royal Johnson were named to the task force.
In March the court passed a resolution to create a Milam County Medical Task Force to investigate and make recommendations to the court regarding after hours care, ambulance service and the Rockdale Hospital complex. The Task Force must make recommendations to the Court by Dec. 30, 2021.
The Court also considered tax abatements for three more solar farms that are planned for Milam County. The estimated value of the three farms is $800 million.
The projects are: Milano Solar with an estimated value of $150 million; Sandow Solar 1 with and estimated value of $400 million; and Cattlemen Solar with an estimated value of $250 million.
The Court initiated the long process of tax abatement for each facility and a public hearing will be held on the matter on June 28.
In other business Milam County Judge Steve Young also updated the court on vaccinations.
“I am happy to report that our herd immunity in Milam County is now at 38 percent,” Young said. “This includes those who have viral immunity because they have been infected and those who have been vaccinated. Thirty-six percent of the county, 7,093 individuals have received one shot and 29 percent, 5,663 individuals have been fully vaccinated. The total vaccines administered thus far is 12, 666 in Milam County. This includes those vaccinated within and outside the county. The Milam County Health Department has administered almost 8,600 of these shots.”
“We are making progress,” he said. “People are getting vaccinated. But, we must do more. More people must get vaccinated. Please don’t put this off any longer. We are using the Moderna vaccine, which is safe, 94 percent effective and the shot is virtually painless. If we are ever going to get this pandemic behind us, we need at least 75 percent of the county vaccinated. Please do your part – get vaccinated.”
The county has been administering homebound shots this week. They also assisted Williamson County on Wednesday. Today the county will run a 500 dose second round Moderna clinic in Rockdale. On Friday, they will vaccinate inmates at the Milam County Jail and we will administer first round Moderna shots to anyone that wants one at the Milam County Medical Department, located at 209 S. Houston in Cameron from noon to 4 p.m. Call (254) 697-7000 to make an appointment or simply walk in.
There are a total of 14 active cases in the county with three people currently hospitalized. There have been 47 fatalities.