Editorial by Dawn Burleigh

 

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, all the i’s were dotted, t’s were crossed and documents officially signed to provide Savage Inland Marine with a surface lease agreement between the Texas General Land Office and Savage Inland Marine.

Orange County Commissioners Court, which has received a great deal of flack over decisions they have made in the last two years, made a wise choice in July 2016 when they passed a resolution concerning Savage Inland Marine and concerns voiced by the Save the Bessie Heights Marsh Foundation. It allowed residents to ask questions and to learn more about what happens on a daily basis on the Neches River.

Save the Bessie Heights Marsh Foundation asked questions and rose awareness of the situation of barging impacting the marsh along the Neches River.

Savage Inland Marine took a stand to improve the environment along the river while also making a significant economical impact in Orange County.

While the Save the Bessie Heights Marsh Foundation may not be happy with the outcome, the business is not operating illegally with the newly signed surface lease agreement.

The steps to obtain the agreement is not an overnight process and Savage Inland opted to move forward in the process instead of relocating to another area; an area which could have been outside of Orange County.

Municipalities and residents, alike, have expressed a need for economic growth in the county. Savage Inland Marine is part of the solution towards much needed economic growth.

The enterprise has shown growth in the short time it has been in Bridge City. The company has already hired more employees, some as recent as three weeks ago. Savage Inland is working with Lamar State College Orange with a new Maritime Program.

New programs at the school means more instructors, and more opportunities for training for family sustainable income careers. With local training available, more local residents have a chance to train for a position which could improve their economic history.

It is part of the ripple effect which began with Savage Inland Marine selecting Bridge City for it’s base of operations.

Dawn Burleigh is editor of The Orange Leader. She can be reached at dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com