Local Roundup - page 58

The City of Vidor will soon be starting its 2020 Street maintenance project. The streets and scheduled start dates of maintenance work include:

• N. Tram (from the feeder road to E. Tram)—–6-29-20
• 1st Street—–7-6-20
• Jackson Street & Alma Circle—–7-13-20
• Lexington Drive—–7-17-20

Work on each street is expected to take approximately one week. While under construction, the roads will be intermittently closed to traffic during the day. Please note, the road project schedule and road closures are subject to change due to weather conditions. Please use alternate routes during the scheduled construction.

For more info, contact Vidor City Hall at (409) 769-5473.

James Scales, Deputy Director of the Orange County Environmental Health and Code Compliance, has resumed restaurant health inspections.

Here are the scores for May and June of 2020:

Perfect Scores

• Kidz World Learning Center, 1875 Miller Drive, Bridge City, 100
• New Begininz Academy, 3807 Meeks Drive, Orange, 100
• Little Flock Daycare, 8257 Highway 87 North, Little Cypress, 100
• Little Cypress Learning, 3274 Little Cypress Drive, Little Cypress 100
• Little Pirate Learning Center, 240 South Main St., #4, Vidor, 100
• Building Blocks Academy, 467 Moore Drive, Vidor, 100
• Orange County Preschool, 2660 Roosevelt Street, Vidor, 100
• Brighter beginnings Child, 20144 FM 1130, Mauriceville, 100
• Panthers Den Preschool, 5970 White Oak Road, Mauriceville, 100
• Early Learning Child Care, 2395 Highway 12, Vidor, 100
• Bright Beginnings Learning, 1023 Church Street, Vidor, 100
• Bright Horizon Learning Center, 5830 North Main Street, Vidor, 100

Pre-Opening Inspections/Location Change

All were deemed ok to operate.

• The Ice Cream Shack, Mobile unit, Orange County
• Sno Biz Mauriceville, 6867 FM 1136, #2, Mauriceville
• Jimmy Nicks BBQ, 105 Sargent Street, Vidor
• A R & Sons Tamales, 123 Katherine Street, West Orange
• Tacos Baja, Mobile unit, Vidor
• Anchor Education Center, 1301 West Park Avenue, Orange
• Starbucks Coffee #59965, 3126 16th Street, Orange
• El Autentico Taco, 2110 Texas Avenue, Bridge City, location change
• Contreras Catering, 1195 Texas Avenue, Bridge City, opening inspection inside Rustic Saloon in Bridge City

Orange

• Walmart Grocery #777, 3115 Edgar Brown Dr, Orange, no grade: Received a complaint that entire store had no hot water. Found no hot water inside restrooms, deli department and bakery. Closed bakery, deli and produce departments until hot water was repaired. Closed departments on May 20, 2020 at 4:45 pm and hot water was repaired and all departments were allowed to reopen on May 21, 2020 at 5:38 pm
• Orange Community Action, 103 5th St., Orange, 99: Several gnats found at broken dishwasher. This is the inspection for Meals on Wheels program.
• Write the Vision Learning, 3300 Western Avenue, Orange, 99: Several dead roaches found under dish sink.
• Peggy’s Place, 2682 East Roundbunch Road, Orange, 98: Outside of equipment, storage shelves and floors around fryers need to be cleaned of old foods/grease.
• Lighthouse Academy, 19400 Highway 62, Orange, 96: Chemicals stored above cooler. Vents at the vent-a-hood need to be cleaned of mold.
• Exxpress Mart #21. 20871 Highway 62 South, Orange, 95: Corrective memo: pulled several expired foods from shelves. Drinks stored on the floor inside the walk-in cooler. Current food service permit, certified food manager certificates and current health inspection report not posted in front of the establishment.
• KFC #521029, 2207 MacArthur Drive, Orange, 87: Found coleslaw out of proper temperatures-management discarded. No food handler certificates. Heavy ice buildup found in reach-in freezer and walk-in freezer motors-need to repair. Air conditioner out & mold growing on air vents. Immediate repairs need to be made and effecting food product temperatures. Defrosting chicken on prep table. Floors, walls, equipment throughout need to be cleaned of old foods/grease. Boxes found on ground near dumpster-old grease found & running into the storm drain.
• Taco Bell #036710, 7245 Interstate 10 East, Orange, 97: Front cooling unit and walk-in freezer has lots of ice buildup-need to repair. Vents at vent-a-hood and air vent above prep line needs to be cleaned of dust/ grease.

Bridge City

• Hamburger Depot, 2395 Texas Avenue, Bridge City, 95: Pipes under compartment sink has a steady drip at bottom and water is standing on the floor-need immediate repairs. Hair restraints needed. Defrosting fish in bucket of water inside prep sink. Need to reseal bottom of back door.
• Fat Boys BBQ, 2227 Texas Avenue, Bridge City, 93: Employee using bare hand contact with ready to eat foods. Paper towels needed at the handwashing station. Hair restraints needed. All storage needs to be 6- inches off the floor.
• America Donuts, 2105 Texas Avenue, Bridge City, 90: Found sausage and boudin out of proper temperatures. No record of time found on holding sausage and boudin out at room temperatures. Ice scoop laying on top of ice inside machine. Using same pan liner multiple times to bake kolaches.
• Brewitas, 2875 Texas Avenue, Suite B, Bridge City, 89: More handwashing needed-employees using personal cell phones and not properly washing hands before preparing foods. Paper towels needed at the handwashing station. Dirty mop being stored inside compartment sink used to clean dishes. Hair restraints needed. Storing paper goods on the floor. Storage shelves and equipment need to be c leaned of old Foods. Current health inspection report and certified food manager certificates not posted in front of establishment.
• Sammy’s Taqueria , 2122 Texas Avenue, Bridge City, 84: Cooling foods improperly (cooked meats). Found raw beef, shelled eggs and Spanish rice out of proper temperatures. Dates needed on all foods inside coolers and freezers. Dish soap stored on top of raw onions. Soap and paper towels are needed at the handwashing station. Need to remove/discard all equipment that is currently being stored outside the backdoor. No certified food manager certificate found or posted.

Mauriceville

• Texas Country Store #10, 9508 Highway 12, Mauriceville, 81: Found beef/cut vegetables out of proper temperatures. Pulled lots of 2019 expired foods from shelves. Ice scoop laying inside ice machine. Store name and address is needed on all bags of ice sold from store. Front cooler broken and not keeping the proper temperatures-need immediate repairs. Lots of flies/gnats were found. Drinks being stored on the floor in storage room/walk-in cooler. Storage room needs to be cleaned & organized. Both restrooms cleaned & sanitized. Lots of cleaning required

Vidor

• Loving Start Daycare, 2335 Highway 12, Vidor, 99: Boxes of foods being stored on the floor.
• Bayou Café, 995 North Main Street, Vidor, 91: Found cooked shrimp out of proper temperatures. Dates needed on all product inside coolers/freezers. Handwashing station broken and plumbing taken apart- need immediate repairs. Wiping cloths being stored on cutting boards – need to be stored inside sanitize bucket. Current food service permit, certified food manager certificates and current health inspection report not posted in front of the establishment.
• The Donut Palace, 190 West Freeway, Vidor, 85: Found boudin/sausage out of proper temperatures. No record of time found on holding boudin/sausage out at room temperatures. Not sanitizing dishes at the compartment sink used to clean dishes. Dates needed on all product inside cooler. Several racks being stored in front of the handwashing station. Using same pan liner multiple times to bake kolaches. Floors and walls throughout need to be cleaned of old foods. Found several spots where roof leaks when it rains-needs immediate repairs.
• Jingo Cajun Eatery, 425 North Main Street, Vidor, 73: Multiple violations

Due to continued customer growth in Orange County, Recyclops recycling services are moving to a four-day schedule beginning the week of July 6. In addition, going forward, pickups will be every other week instead of twice-monthly, which means customers will receive two extra pickups each year. Recyclops has also added printable calendars for each pickup day on their Orange County website.

Recyclops also recently expanded service into Jefferson and Hardin Counties, so please help them spread the word of their new service areas.

Recyclops is a Utah-based startup that brings recycling to areas where it’s been reduced or isn’t traditionally available, such as apartment complexes and rural markets.

For further info or to sign up for service, please visit the Orange County page on their website.

Keep Orange County Beautiful (KOCB) hopes that in recent weeks everyone has been able to turn to our natural world for a bit of calm and comfort. In challenging times like this, nature’s gifts can feel even more precious. During quarantine, the City of Orange abided by the CDC guidelines for parks by closing playgrounds and bathrooms. Northway Park’s nature trail however remained open. We are grateful to the City of Orange especially the city’s parks department employees who care for this jewel in the middle of our city

Spending time outdoors has a replenishing effect on emotions, memory and well-being by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and production of stress hormones. Staying close to greeneries such as parks and nature trails improves mental health and physical fitness. All of us can find inspiration in nature’s resilience.

Northway Park’s 18 plus acres of canopy trees are a beneficial and vital resource.

An acre of trees can absorb 6 tons of carbon dioxide and produce 4 tons of life-giving oxygen. It is a generous and noble act to protect, preserve, propagate, and grow big trees.

KOCB’s ongoing mission of “More Trees, Less Trash” is proud to recognize the City of Orange’s Parks Department for its conservation and beautification efforts in our community.

For more information on Keep Orange County Beautiful, visit their website or visit us on their Facebook page.

The Beaumont Lodge of Elks #311 presented a $2,500 check to Jack Seeley, leader of the Beaumont Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

Did you know that one in five people in the Golden Triangle lives below the poverty level? About one in ten struggles to make ends meet with less than half of the federal poverty level of income.

It is difficult to find the actual statistics, but too many boys and girls go without a bed or even a pillow to sleep on because their families cannot afford one. These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their health as well as their happiness.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is a national non-profit with chapters spread across the country. They believe that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that every child needs. SHP is a volunteer organization that builds beds for kids who are sleeping on the floor.

The local chapter is led by Jack Seeley in Beaumont, a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling, and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need throughout the Golden Triangle.

Seeley said, “We are so proud to start this relationship with the Beaumont Elks and with CASA, two organizations with such a strong history of helping children. And we expect that relationship will continue to grow as we move forward.”

The Beaumont Elks have been serving this community since 1895. The Elks Lodge is much more than just a building. It’s a place where neighbors come together, families share meals, and children grow up.

Today with the COVID-19 pandemic, like everyone else, the Elks are practicing social distancing and using Personal Protective Equipment (masks, gloves, etc.). In spite of COVID-19, the Elks continue to invest in our community through programs such as Sleep in Heavenly Peace that help children grow up healthy and drug-free.

Ella Johnston-Leger, the Exalted Ruler (President) of the Beaumont Elks, said, “It was a great discovery for us to find Sleep in Heavenly Peace here in Beaumont. The Elks’ commitment to children is well known and we are pleased to start up a relationship with them.”

She went on to say, “In addition to the donation for materials for new beds, the Elks are committing to staff at least one ‘Build Day’ with 15-30 volunteers between the time Texas allows it and the end of this year. That alone could add another 30-40 beds to the supply.”

As a special side benefit of this donation, the Elks are asking that SHP reserve some of the new beds created at this Elks Build Day for sharing with the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) groups that cover the Golden Triangle.

The two local CASA offices give voice to the abused and neglected children in Orange, Jefferson, Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Sabine, and Tyler counties.

Codie Vasquez, Executive Director of CASA of the Sabine Neches Region, said, “When children are removed from their home, there is an urgency to get them placed in a safe environment. Oftentimes, this can be a relative who may not have the immediate funds available to secure a bed for a child. Additionally, a family that has been involved with CPS that is working hard to put their life and family back together is usually working with a very limited income and does not have the funds to purchase a proper bed after paying for rent, utilities and groceries for the month.”

According to Ms. Vasquez, dedicating beds to kids served by CASA is expected to increase the capability of providing foster families to needy children. She said, “Access to beds and cribs make it possible for siblings to stay together. A new bed or crib can be the difference between a child living with family members or with complete strangers while in foster care. And in other cases, can make it possible for children in foster care to go back home to their parents.”

The donation to SHP was enabled by a Gratitude Grant from the Elks National Foundation, part of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.