Caldwell County burn ban still off

By Miles Smith
Editor/POST-REGISTER

It’s still OK to burn in Caldwell County, but conditions are getting dryer, the weather can be windy and caution must be exercised, said Martin Ritchey, Caldwell County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management chief Monday in commissioner’s court.
“The number of fires have picked up,” said Ritchey, who noted that they were of the small, containable variety. “Right now, we can leave the burn ban off. But I want to stress very strongly that if we get a really windy day, please don’t burn. And, please do not leave burn piles unattended.”
The county has a law in place that prohibits burning whenever winds reach or exceed 21 mph.
Commissioners voted unanimously to leave the burn ban off.
In other action, commissioners:
— Approved the nomination of Alton Williams as the director of the Luling Foundation for a two-year term.
— Approved the reallocation of $225,000 in surface transportation block group funding and 56,250 in Transportation Development Credits for the Luling Relief Route Alternative Analysis to the Capital Area Metropolitan Organization.
— Approved a resolution authorizing the filing of a grant application with the Capital Area Council of Governments for a regional solid waste grant.
— Approved support of Caldwell County’s application for the FM 150 extension/Yarrington Road project in the 2019-22 project call administered by CAMPO and certified concession funds received from SH 130 to support local match requirements for the project of no less than 21 percent.