FISHING ORANGE COUNTY
Sports
OUTDOORS
Kaz’s Korner
Capt. Chuck Uzzle
Commentary
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 1B
Page 4B
Hunting & Fishing Page 3B
Healing Power of Prayer
Church Briefs Page 8A
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 57 No. 02
Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield
Week of Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Bridge City welcomes new council members 16 with CDBG funds, added street work will start in July and the filter box results should be back in a week. Parts can then be ordered for the project. The police department
building to be built behind Raceway filling station is waiting on the plans. The Orange County Drainage District said they would remove brush and trees.
In other city business, Place 1 Councilman David Rutledge, Place 3 Councilwoman Tammi Fisette and Place 5 Councilwoman Terri Gautheir were administered the oath of office.
Rutledge was named as Mayor Pro Tem and Gauthier was appointed as city council representative to the South East Regional Planning Commission Executive Committee.
The oath of office ceremony was administer at the regular meeting of the Bridge City City Council meeting on May 19. City Attorney Paul Fukuda gives the oath to, from left, Place 5 Councilwoman Terri Gauthier, Place 1 Councilman David Rutledge and Place 3 Coun-
David Ball
For The Record
There was one project update at the regular meeting of the Bridge City City Council on May 19 that may be of particular interest to families in the city. Jerry Jones, city manager, said the contract to build a splash pad between the pavilion and the library is in and construction will start as soon as possible. Jones said he and Councilman David Rutledge have been working seven to eight years on bringing a splash pad to the city but they never had the money until now.
The splash pad will be part of a $3.5 million bond issue. The pad should be 50-feet by 50feet in size and have five to six features including canopies and seating in the back. “The funds will be available in either June or July. We will schedule the construction as early as possible. We hope to open at least by September. Definitely for next year,” he said. Vortex, a national company our of the Houston area, will be the contractor. In other update reports, Jones said curb work will start in the city, a service line project to 225 homes will start on June
Commissioners table recognizing militia David Ball
For The Record
David W. Smith, commander of the Golden Triangle Militia, attends the meetings of the Orange County Commissioners Court every Monday afternoon. The meeting on May 18, however, was different in that Smith introduced a resolution to the commissioners on their agenda to be available to serve if an emergency is declared and they are called by either the county judge or the sheriff and to be recognized by the county. The resolution was ultimately tabled as commissioners said they needed more information before making a decision. County Judge Brint Carlton said he didn’t know how the vetting process for membership in the militia worked and he wanted to know more about that. Other commissioners said other law enforcement agencies or state guard are available during emergencies. Smith wrote a a prepared statement for the court to recognize the Resolution of Texas Government Code Statute 431, Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 147, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. “For over a year with much education, determination, resilience and patience the Golden Triangle Militia, the Reserve Militia, have coordinated efforts to establish a working relationship between the mem-
bers of the Orange County court and the residents of Orange County,” he wrote. Smith added, to his knowledge Smith none of the 254 counties in Texas have recognized the reserve militia and Orange County would be the first if they approve. He stated the militia is in the process to assist in any situation the county may face in the future, whether it’s natural or a manmade disaster. “This nation was founded with the help of local militias and has been an asset neglected and nearly forgotten. The very word MILITIA creates a sense of fear created by a total neglect, failure in understanding of what a true MILITIA is and the purpose intended,” Smith wrote. “Serving in the Reserve Militia is an honorable service when lawfully coordinated with our elected officials.” Smith stated veterans and those who never served can serve the community and state by joining the County Reserve Militia. “Today this resolution sets a precedent for the rest of the counties in Texas to follow and do just as the Second AmendCOUNTY Page 3A
Bridge City Lady Cardinal junior Baili Thibodeaux is greeted by teammates after she rounded the bases on a homerun to put The Lady Cardinals ahead 2-0 to win Game One of the regional quarterfinals against Huffman-Hargrave on Thursday. Thibodeaux had also scored the first point in the contest following a hit by senior Kasey Frederick. But a superb 28-6 season came to an end for the Bridge City girls on Saturday as Huffman-Hargrave won games two and three to advance. All the same, congratulations on a great season to Lady Cardinal Head Coach Miste Henderson, Assistant Coaches George Navarro and Valrie Gilbeaux and the 2015 Lady Cardinals. Departing the Lady Cardinals as seniors will be Kellyn Cormier, Skylar Kahla, Hannah Faulk, Kaleigh Carter and Kasey Frederick. Team manager was Maggie Garcia. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
Orangefield native J.B. Arrington turns 90
Cowboy riding long in the saddle David Ball
For The Record
J.B. Arrington said others sometimes ask him to write his life story. His wife, Mary, jokes who would want to read one page with one paragraph. Joking aside, Arrington has lived an interesting and varied life in his 90 years on the earth. Consequently, a birthday party was held in his honor on May 16 at the Old First Baptist Church in Orange to celebrate being 90 years young. Arrington took some time to look back on his first 90 years.
Early years in Orangefield Arrington joked that Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin while he was born in a cotton shack in Orangefield and it took him 70 years to get into his own log cabin. “However, no one ever accused us of being born in a manger,” he joked. Arrington grew up during the Great Depression while
J.B. Arrington turned 90 this week. He grew up in Orangefield and has worked as a sailor, a cowboy, a teacher, a restaurant owner, and many other trades over the years. He’s also been actively involved in the community. RECORD PHOTO: David Ball
Orangefield was still booming. “There were so many stores, a cafe, a hotel, a machine shop, a barber shop, a cobbler shop, and a drug store and a movie theater. The first one I saw was in 1928 and it was a silent. My grandpa would ride to Orange in a buggy. When I saw this old timer on the screen riding in a buggy, I said, ‘Hey grandpa! Hey grandpa!’” he said. “We also had a filling station and a beer joint with a dance floor in the back.” Arrington still recalls Jack Turner, who worked for Lutcher Stark, who said a team of mules and a wagon sank in quicksand where the Cow Bayou Bridge now stands. Dust storms would also sometimes blow through town in the 1930s, forcing residents to shut their windows and leaving a one-eighth inch thick coat of dust in its wake. Orange mushroomed during the War years from a sleepy town of 7,000 to 70,000. All of the stores in the city were located on Fifth Street. Arrington attended McLewis School during his formative J.B. ARRINGTON Page 3A