ST. HEDWIG, Texas – Several weeks after floods swept away cars, drowning two people in St. Hedwig, its city council approved a maintenance supervisor position to add manpower.
On October 14th, two cars driving down Graytown Road went into a low water crossing during pouring rain. Both cars were swept away, and 5-year-old Alyssa Layman and 52-year-old Esther Conde drowned.
The Saint Hedwig City Council approved a maintenance supervisor hire on Thursday. It’s a brand new position for the city and one that is full-time.
According to Mayor Dee Grimm, the city has been trying to fill the position for at least six weeks. Prior to the meeting, the city only had two part-time maintenance employees.
They also want to hire more city employees in the near future, hoping the added manpower will help prevent similar tragedies as those on October 14th.
In previous reports, the Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he did not believe road barriers were up at the time to prevent cars from passing the low water crossing. We asked the mayor if safety measures were up at the time the cars drove into the water.
“At this point in time, that incident is still under investigation. So I’m not at liberty to discuss that,” said Grimm.
Residents in attendance at the meeting said they also want more safety measures in place.
“I’m heartbroken just like the rest of the residents here. I don’t want to ever see it happen again. I do understand there’s challenges budget-wise to try and get different things done, but I ask the council to move forward quickly with measures at the intersection in question,” said resident Joe Ochoa.