Grimes County has won another round against Texas Central Partners’ ongoing attempts to build a bullet train through it, by a district court decision forbidding the placing of metal survey rods in county easements without permission.
Though they are admittedly small, County Judge Ben Lehman insists unexpected nails pose a safety hazard for the county’s ditch crew.
Lehman tells Navasota News they have a long, 20-inch hydraulic arm that spins at thousands of RPMs to dig those ditches along the road, and if it hits one of those nails, it could certainly cause severe damage to an individual. But he says the primary reason for Judge Albert “Buddy” McCaig’s decision is simple; since TCP does not possess the power of Imminent Domain, it does not have the right to do it.
TCP claims it already has option agreements on more than half of the property it needs in Grimes. but the judge says that’s disingenuous, because it claimed Imminent Domain to get them.
Lehman claims TCP has sent thousands of letter claiming that right, and have sued more than 40 people, saying, “We have the right to be on your land, we can condemn your land and we will if needed, and if you don’t sign, we’ll see you in court.”
Although McCaig’s ruling does not keep TCP from claiming Imminent Domain, it does keep them from any further unauthorized surveys. If they try, County Attorney Jon C. Fultz promises the county will see them in court . . . again.