Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

For the first time in eight years, Breckenridge has a new mayor, after outgoing Mayor Bob Sims passed the gavel to the newly elected Kord Trammel at the City Commission meeting Tuesday night, June 2.

Breckenridge City Secretary Jessica Sutter swears in Kord Trammel as the new mayor at the June 2 city commission meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Prior to the meeting, the City of Breckenridge hosted a reception for Sims. Current and former City employees and city commissioners attended, along with a variety of community members.

“One of the most things that we really appreciate about you is how much you support us, and you recognize the work that everybody does,” Breckenridge City Manager Cynthia Northrop said. “You know the work that is done by the city doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by all these people out on the streets …. That’s who makes the world go around for the city, and you have always been so supportive.”

Sims, who was elected mayor in 2018 after he retired from his career as a State Trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said he has enjoyed serving in the position for the past eight years.

During the regular city commission meeting, which started shortly after the reception ended, Northrop presented Sims with an official proclamation from the City of Breckenridge, commending him for his outstanding service to the citizens of Breckenridge. She also presented Sims with a plaque thanking him for his service; the gavel that Sims has used as mayor was attached to the plaque.

“It’s been my pleasure for eight years to do this, and I don’t know where the time went to. It went by so fast,” Sims said. “…Thank you again, and God bless every one of you here.”

Following the presentations to Sims, City Secretary Jessica Sutter swore in Trammel, who was elected as mayor in the May 2 election. Sutter also swore in Commissioner Blake Hamilton, who was re-elected to the Place 1 position. Incoming Place 2 Commissioner Justin Rose couldn’t be at the meeting and will be sworn in at the next meeting, Northrop said.

Breckenridge City Manager Cynthia Northrop presented outgoing Mayor Bob Sims with a plaque featuring the gavel he used during the five years he served as mayor. During the June 2 city commission meeting, she also read a proclamation from the City, honoring Sims for his service. See more photos from the meeting and the earlier reception below. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Other City business

After the swearings-in, Trammel led the meeting, which included the approval of the following items:

• The second reading of a resolution approving the Breckenridge Economic Development Corporation project for Neri’s Courtyard.
• Changes to the City’s Schedule of Fees (First Reading).
• Appointing Commissioner Paul Huntington to serve as Mayor Pro-tem, a position that serves as the mayor in the mayor’s absence.

Additionally, during the meeting, Breckenridge Police Chief Blake Johnson presented officer Courtney Nichols as the City’s employee of the month.

Breckenridge Police Chief Blake Johnson, left, presents officer Courtney Nichols with a certificate and gift card as the City’s employee of the month. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Water System Update

In her City Manager’s Report, Northrop presented an update on the water situation in Breckenridge. She mostly focused on the current water related projects going on in the city, including water line replacements, as well as on the reasons for the number of boil water notices that the community receives.

“Anytime we lose pressure under 20 psi … we’re required by TCEQ to issue a boil water notice,” Northrop said, going on to detail the main three reasons for the boil water notices.

The first factor is the city’s aging water system. “We just have aging infrastructure,” she said. “We’ve got old weak and brittle lines. Of course, weather changes, pressure…when we’re re-pressurizing the system…there’s a danger (of a water line break and subsequent boil water notice).”

Other sources of water-related challenges for the city are the many construction projects going on throughout Breckenridge, Northrop said. Sometimes, utility companies and others digging near water lines can cause leaks that lead to a loss of water pressure, she said.

“We just recently, with the support of the city commission, awarded a contract to a professional line locator. … Doing the number of line locates that we’re doing, … our crews just can’t handle that amount of work,” she said, adding that the City also updated the permit fee to help cover the cost of the  professional line locators. “But mistakes can still happen, and when those mistakes do happen, and it is a contractor’s fault, then they are held accountable for that.”

Northrop said the third source of boil water notices stems from projects intended to improve the system. She cited the ongoing Elm Street water line replacement project, where crews must temporarily shut off water service while connecting customers to newly installed lines. Many of the recent boil water notices have been related to that project, she explained.

“It can seem like there’s a lot more boil water notices, but it’s not the whole town,” she said. “It’s usually just a block or two, maybe three or four, that (it) impacts.”

Northrop also discussed a recent failure of a 12-inch water main under the Gunsolus Creek bridge on East Walker Street.

“You can see that big hole there, that is a 12 inch water line, and that is more on the north side of the bridge that’s north of the park,” she said while showing the commissioners photographs of the damage.

The break in the line happened in an area where a new 12-inch line connects with the older line. The rupture rapidly drained the city’s east water tower. When reports of a loss in water pressure started coming in to the City, the crews worked to quickly find the location of the leak and repair the pipe, although a secondary problem led to another leak, which was also repaired, she said.

Northrop said the incident highlights the need for continued infrastructure investment, including the planned purchase of a vacuum truck and ongoing engineering efforts to address vulnerable sections of the city’s water system.

Cutline, top photo: Outgoing Breckenridge Mayor Bob Sims, left, congratulates newly elected Mayor Kord Trammel shortly after Trammel’s swearing in at the June 2 Breckenridge City Commission meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

At the June 2 city commission meeting, Breckenridge City Secretary Jessica Sutter swears in commissioner Blake Hamilton, who was re-elected in the May election. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Breckenridge Mayor Kord Trammel posed for a picture with his parents, Gary and Kathy Trammel, just before going into his first executive session with the city commission. He was sworn in a few minutes earlier during the June 2 meeting. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

On June 2, the City of Breckenridge hosted a reception for outgoing Mayor Bob Sims. During the meeting that followed, Sims passed the gavel to newly elected Mayor Kord Trammel. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Former Breckenridge Commissioner Rob Durham, left, thanks outgoing Mayor Bob Sims for his eight years of service during a reception for Sims on June 2. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Burrell McKelvain, left, visits with Bob Sims at a farewell and appreciation reception for Sims on June 2. At the Breckenridge City Commission meeting following the reception, Sims, who had served as mayor for eight years, turned over the gavel to newly elected Kord Trammel. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

City employee Darrell Smith, right, chats with Bob Sims at a reception for Sims, who wrapped up eight years as the Breckenridge mayor on June 2. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

First Baptist Church Pastor Andy Rodgers, left, says a prayer of blessing for Bob Sims during a reception for Sims celebrating his eight years as mayor of Breckenridge. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)