Hatchery gets green from state
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

The Jasper County fish hatchery received a shot in the arm last week.

The Texas legislature has approved HB 1 and HB 12, which provide significant new funding for state parks.

HB 1, the appropriations bill, and several related provisions in HB 12 will provide approximately $182 million in additional funding for state and local parks in the 2008-2009 biennium.

"We had the bond money but we needed our stamp money and they released it to us," said Inland Fisheries Director Phil Durocher of the $13.3 million, which was released last week. "It would have put us in a big bind if it hadn't turned out this way. It would cost us a lot more if we would have had to build the hatchery in two phases.

Durocher said the project would be delayed 30 days because of design issues.

"Up until now, we were only able to afford design a portion of the hatchery," Durocher said. "Now that we have all the money released, we can tell them to design the whole project."

He said the project should go out for bids by the end of the year with construction expected to begin early in 2008.

Durocher said the battle for this money started earlier this year when lawmakers threatened to "hold" the money that had originally been appropriated for the fish hatchery project.

"They money was already there but they had to give us the authority to spend it and they have done that," Durocher said.

Durocher said Senator Robert Nichols and State Representative Wayne Christian were instrumental in leading to the release of the funds.

"They all were a big help in this project," Durocher said. "Everybody we talked to went to bat for us."

Durocher said the fish hatchery, which will be located on TX. Hwy. 255 across from the Umphrey Family Pavilion should be completed in two years.

"This project will mean not only a lot to the local area but to the whole state," Durocher said. "We will be able to increase our bass production to three to four million a year. This facility will be much more efficient than the old facility."

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved the fish hatchery site for Jasper County in November of 2004.

"We know that the location of this hatchery in East Texas will be a great benefit to the citizens of the entire region and to all the people of Texas," said Joe Folk, then-Jasper County Judge. Officials with the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and other communities expressed similar sentiments.

"We deeply appreciate the spirit of regional cooperation that is developing around the new hatchery project," said Joseph Fitzsimons, TPW Commission chairman. "There were many fine proposals by local communities, and it was a difficult decision. We fully support the concept of making this a venture that will benefit the entire region."

The Jasper County proposal was valued at approximately $28 million over 50 years, $4 million higher than the next highest bidder. It offered the largest land area at 200 acres. And it was also the only hatchery proposal that would require minimal water pumping, with water delivered by gravity flow during parts of the year. The site is well suited for hatchery construction, and will be cleared at no cost to TPWD.

The Jasper County proposal will locate the new hatchery near the Sam Rayburn Reservoir dam.

Other partner offerings in the Jasper County proposal include water and financial support from the Lower Neches Valley Authority, a new county road to the site with possible assistance from the Texas Department of Transportation, and additional support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The new hatchery will replace the present Jasper Fish Hatchery, which was opened in 1932 and has had no major renovation or modernization since the late 1940s.

The primary funding source for the new hatchery and for improvements at other hatcheries in the TPWD system will come from a new $5 freshwater fishing stamp that was required beginning Sept. 1, and from community and corporate support.