Judge details $1.2 million courthouse work and $1.2 million Tecolote grant; land acquisition next

Judge Pedro Petitravigna Jr. told the court that courthouse renovations began in earnest in April and that the county has engaged a crew referred to in the transcript as "Phoenix 1." "We are getting, at least $1,200,000 worth of work in our courthouse," he said, describing boarded windows, historic-commission compliance for window bases, and new drainage work connecting to a larger drainage system referenced in the transcript as the "city of Dallas drainage system."

Separately, the judge said the county received a $1,200,000 project-development grant from Congresswoman Dela Cruz's office for the Tecolote project and is "this close to acquiring the land, the 2 acres that we need." He added the county received written notice (via email) that it would start receiving some of the grant funds and quoted the email text as "we're receiving a 144030¢ of that money." The transcript's numeric string is unclear; the judge's broader point was that some federal grant funds are now expected to arrive and the county will move quickly on water infrastructure and construction once land is acquired.

The judge noted the county intends to follow historical-commission rules for window restoration and said the work began "from the bottom" (drainage and basement work) as part of a phased preservation plan. He congratulated other counties that secured historic-commission funding and said the county may reapply for additional grant funds in the next legislative cycle.