The saga of the air monitor that wouldn't get built, and wouldn't go away, continued at Monday morning's meeting of the Freestone county commissioners.

An air quality monitor has been discussed since 2007, and was actually approved in 2008, but both supporters and non-supporters continue to debate its worth, as well as its costs.

Listed on the agenda Monday, Freestone county resident Gary Waldrip spoke to commissioners about the state of the economy, saying that he always felt that the county government has acted most conservatively. "But that was shattered by your recent vote to purchase an air monitor," he said.

"You voted for no raises, but put this $170,000 expense in the budget," Waldrip added.

Waldrip told commissioners that he feels this project should be handled by the state, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and that this is not a county issue.

"We don't have the manpower or the expertise," he went on. "I think the county is getting in over its head."

Waldrip's objections included the initial price, the $45,000 per year maintenance fee, the location of the monitor and the county's use of the data an air monitor would provide.

"I haven't heard anything about the use of data. I think if the county is going to spend this much money, it should be able to articulate how they plan to use the data," he said.

Producing printed reports to back up his objections, Waldrip said he has been studying the emissions reports from the air monitor in Corsicana, the monitor closest to Freestone county, and says the compounds continuously come in at a better number than the Environmental Protection Agency recommends.

"If you could buy these monitors at Walmart for $19.95, I say knock yourselves out, but I have a hard time justifying taxpayer money for something the state should provide," Waldrip said.

"This issue has taken up the court's time and energy for long enough. I ask that this project be abandoned by the county."

In comments from the public, which are limited to five minutes each, Willie Ward agreed with Waldrip.

"If an air monitor was needed, the state would require all counties to have them," he pointed out.

"At TXU we monitored the air for years, and never found elevated levels."

"I ask that you not let yourself be bullied by one person, and as a county taxpayer, to not spend the money this way," he concluded.

Charles Morgan of Citizens for Environmental Cleanup, longtime proponents of an air monitor in Freestone county, also spoke at the meeting, disputing Waldrip's and Ward's statements, and saying that he is backed by "lots of folks".

"We do need an air quality monitor," Morgan said, "and we requested one from the TCEQ, but they turned us down." Morgan also said the TCEQ shows Freestone county as having the dirtiest power plant in Texas, but that they base location of the monitors on population.

Regarding the Corsicana air monitor readings, Morgan says that filters render the readings inaccurate.

"We need an air monitor to know what we're breathing, so we can act on that data.You are going to condemn our people to more years of the highest cancer and asthma in Texas," Morgan said.

Precinct one commissioner Luke Ward asked Morgan how many pounds of contaminants per day per person are produced in Freestone county.

"It's like taking a 50 pound bag and throwing it in each person's face," Morgan said, which Ward quickly disputed as less than fact, adding that Morgan professes to be an engineer, but is actually not. Morgan defended himself, and his qualifications, which was met with, "Engineers built the Titanic," from an audience member. Precinct three commissioner, and pro-tem official in county judge Linda Grant's absence, Stanley Gregory, put a halt to the discussion so that other agenda items could be addressed.

The issue was revisited at the end of the meeting, however, when several audience members offered their opinions on installation of an air monitor.

Billy Ward said that he lives north of town, direction the air presumably blows, and he has seen no change in the county. "No one is dying, and everything is as green as can be," he said.

Donna Strait of Streetman asked what it would take to make the air monitor happen, and Ward told her to go to the TCEQ.

"If we put in one air monitor, they'll want us to put in more," Ward said, to a cheer from the crowd.

Helen Pickett wound down arguments by saying, "I thank you for approving the purchase of the air monitor, and I pray that you will do what is best for the people, and fulfill this."

Also at Monday's meeting, commissioners set a schedule of early voting for temporary places for the March 2 primary election that includes: Teague, St. Elmo, Butler, Donie and Wortham, Saturday, Feb. 20, and Butler, which will be held either Feb. 17 or Feb. 24, both Wednesdays.