Luling awarded evacuation center

From staff reports

Caldwell County commissioners on Monday have voted, and Luling will be the eventual new home for the county’s new emergency evacuation center.
The evacuation center will also be available for use as a community event center, but commissioners largely agreed that Luling’s proximity to I-10 and a hospital and wide-open, relatively inexpensive land made the city a logical choice for the new shelter.
“Both cities worked hard on this, but for me, it boils down to two things — finances and a need for space,” Haden said. “Luling is much closer to I-10 and it has a hospital. I know the center can be used for other things, but its primary function is an evacuation center, and when we have a conversation with the (Texas General Land Office), it won’t be about a community center.
“We can get as many as 40 acres and still be within budget. We can build facilities that double as an animal shelter. People leave animals behind and our animal shelter here is beyond capacity all of the time.”
Commissioners voted 4-1 to accept Luling’s proposal. Precinct 1 Commissioner BJ Westmoreland voted nay.
“Like Commissioner Roland, I received a lot of calls from my constituency in Lockhart, and I worked with the city to get the specifics of the grant proposal,” Westmoreland said. “I do feel it should be in Lockhart due to the infrastructure that’s available.”
Commissioners on Monday also unanimously approved ratification of the $17.8 million GLO Community Development Block Grant contract that will pay for the project.
In other action, commissioners:
Voted to leave the burn ban off
Approved a COVID leave policy for employees that allows vaccinated employees who catch the illness to recover without using their paid time off.