FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2018
Contact Information: Charles Hausmann
Calhoun Port Authority
2313 FM 1593 South
Point Comfort, Texas 77978
(361) 987-2813
POINT COMFORT, TEXAS – In response to allegations that the Calhoun Port Authority (“Port”)
violated the Texas Open Meetings Act (“Act”), Port Chairman Randy Boyd requested the attorneys
for the Port seek the Texas Attorney General’s opinion on whether the Port violated the Act. David
Roberts of Roberts, Roberts, Odefey, Witte & Wall, LLP, Port General Counsel, contacted
Calhoun County District Attorney Dan Heard to seek the Opinion. The Texas Open Meetings Act
allows entities to seek an opinion under these circumstances. “The Texas Attorney General has
the authority to give us advice. We will act pursuant to the recommendation of the Texas Attorney
General,” said Chairman Boyd “and I am confident we didn’t violate the Act because our
Executive Director has the authority under the Texas Water Code and the Board adopted Employee
Policy Manual to hire and fire all employees, except for the Port Director and Assistant Port
Director. We are hopeful that the Attorney General responds accordingly.” Chairman Boyd
reiterated, “whatever ruling is received from the Texas Attorney General, the Port will follow the
requirements of that ruling.”
Critical issue:
The jetties of the Matagorda Ship Channel were constructed in the 1960s through a partnership
between the Army Corps of Engineers and the Port. The Port contributed fifty percent (50%) to
the construction. In 1999, the Port, through a letter written by Chairman Boyd, gave notice to the
Corps notifying them of the ongoing problems with the jetties. The letter advised the Corps that
the jetties have been severely undermining and scouring. Following that notice, and after years of
limited progress, the Corps finally recognized the serious problems with the jetties in 2016, some
17 years after being notified of the critical issue.
The Port was initially informed by the Corps that despite the Corps’ responsibility to fix the
problems, the Port would have to pay for part of the fix, upwards of fifty percent (50%) of the cost.
The repair was initially estimated to cost between $90-100 million. Later, the Port learned that it
may only have to pay upwards of twenty five percent (25%) or more than $22.5 million. The Port
fought diligently over the last few years to have the Corps pay the full amount of the repair. The
Port argued that local taxpayers should not be penalized for the problems where the Port had no
control over the construction. Chairman Boyd believes the Port “needs to act quickly to save
taxpayers money.”

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 Executive Director Charles Hausmann hired Farenthold to use all his energies to save the Port the
cost of any share of the repair. Randy Boyd “fully supports the hiring of Blake Farenthold as the
Legislative Liaison for the Port because of the urgent need to address this issue and now that the
funds are available as a result of Congress appropriating over $17 billion for Hurricane Harvey
damages. Because of his experience and knowledge of the situation, Blake can assist us in getting
the repairs made. Blake has the mission to ‘get this done’ for the taxpayers of Calhoun County.
Blake has experience as a former member of the Transportation Committee and can also help us
with our widening and deepening project.”
According to the Martin & Associates 2015 economic analysis report of the Matagorda Ship
Channel, if the jetties fail, the estimated economic loss to the local, state and national economy
would be more than one billion dollars per month. Chairman Boyd firmly states, “We cannot let
this happen.”

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