People, Places & Events

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East Cedar Creek Freshwater Supply District meets at 12:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month at the ECCFSD office on Hammer Road just off Welch Lane in Gun Barrel City.
Eustace City Council meets at 7 p.m. in the Eustace City Hall the first Thursday of each month. For more information, please call 425-4702. The public is invited to attend.
Eustace Independent School District meets at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the Eustace High School Library. For more information, please call 425-7131. The public is invited to attend.
Gun Barrel City Council meets in Brawner Hall at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. For more information, please call 887-1087. The public is invited to attend.
Gun Barrel City Economic Development Corporation meets at 1831 W. Main, GBC, at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. For more information, please call 887-1899.
Henderson County Commissioner’s Court meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. in the Henderson County Courthouse in Athens. The public is invited to attend.
Henderson County Emergency Services District #4 meets at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at 525 S. Tool Dr. in Tool.
Henderson County Historical Commission meets the first Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. in the HC Historical Museum.
Kaufman County Commissioner’s Court meets the first, second, third and fourth Monday of each month at 9:45 a.m. in the Kaufman County Courthouse in Kaufman. The public is invited to attend.
Kemp City Council meets at Kemp City Hall at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month. For more information, please call 498-3191. The public is invited to attend.
Kemp Independent School District meets the third Tuesday of each month in the Board Room in the Administration Building. For more information, please call 498-1314. The public is invited to attend.
Log Cabin City Council meets the third Thursday of the month in city hall. For more information, please call 489-2195. The public is invited to attend.
Mabank City Council meets at 7 p.m. in Mabank City Hall the first Tuesday of each month. For more information, please call 887-3241. The public is invited to attend.
Mabank Independent School District meets at 7:30 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month. For more information, please call 887-9310. The public is invited to attend.
Payne Springs City Council meets at city hall at 7:30 p.m. every third Tuesday of each month. For more information, please call 451-9229. The public is invited to attend.
Payne Springs Water Supply Corp. meets the third Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Payne Springs Community Center, located at 9690 Hwy. 198.
Seven Points City Council meets at 7 p.m. in Seven Points city hall the second Tuesday of each month. For more information, please call 432-3176. The public is invited to attend.
Tool City Council meets at 6 p.m. in the Oran White Civic Center the third Thursday of each month. For more information, please call 432-3522. The public is invited to attend.
West Cedar Creek Municipal Utility District is held at 5 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month. For more information, please call 432-3704. The public is invited.

Monitor Photo/
Pearl Cantrell
West Cedar Creek Municipal Utility District manager Tony Ciardo (left) answers director Carolyn Morgan’s question with a demonstration of how the utility prevents theft of service by removing the water meter when a service contract is terminated by the homeowner or renter. A connect fee of $50 is charged to initiate a new service contract. The utility charges $70 to reconnect after service termination due to unpaid monthly bills. There were 743 reconnects in 2009, generating $48,500, Ciardo said.

Ciardo also noted revenues were way down in FY 2009, as water conservation efforts, combined with the unusually wet weather in the fall and slow growth in the area, have taken their toll on the utility’s bottom line.
“Water usage has really dropped, while raw water costs are up,” Ciardo said. In addition, last year’s budget called for 50 new installations; only 44 were performed, he said.
It was also noted that service rates have not seen an increase since 1992, and directors did not discuss the possibility of that changing during their regular monthly meeting.
Ciardo is expecting $774,000 in expenses on the water side and $197,000 on the sewer side for regular maintenance, processing and testing.
Another $2.1 million is booked for administrative costs, including payroll, benefits and fuel, for a total of $3.08 million in expenses.
That leaves a balance of $540,000 to be added to capitol improvements.
Ciardo said this year he’d like to purchase a few new vehicles, refurbish several elevated towers and plan for future expansion, totaling $1.3 million in capitol improvements, with some of the cost coming out of reserves.
In other business, directors:
• called for the election of four directors May 8, and named utility secretary Wanda Sanders election administrator.
Board vice president Jim Scrimshire and directors Joe King, Eldon Cox and Carolyn Morgan are all up for re-election for a four-year term.
• called for an audit of FY 2009 financial records. Auditor Smith, Lambright and Associates of Athens will conduct the audit.
• approved December, 2009, financial statements, noting that these include the year-end summary, which will be fine-tuned and corrected by staff and the auditor.
• heard a series of meetings with the management and tenants of the HamLins apartment complex have been ongoing to correct a letter to tenants stating the utility had raised its water and sewer rates, and that cost was being forwarded on to them.

Hotel to hold ribbon-cutting
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–Representatives from the City of Mabank met with Comfort Suites Hotel General Manager Joe Babits Tuesday morning to put the final touches on plans for the hotel’s grand opening.
The official Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting for the new property will be at 1:15 p.m. Friday, Jan, 29. The public is invited to come help the chamber and city officials welcome this new business to the community, tour the hotel and enjoy refreshments.


Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
The new 70-room Comfort Suites Inn, located in north Mabank at the U.S. Highway 175/State Highway 198 interchange, is now open and accepting guests. An area chamber of commerce ribbon cutting ceremony marking the grand opening of the hotel will be held at 1:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29.

New fire marshal named
Monitor Staff Reports
ATHENS–The Henderson County Commissioners selected the person with the most experience to fill the vacated county fire marshal’s position.
After an executive session Tuesday, commissioners chose Edgewood resident James Darryl Furrh to fill the rest of John Holcomb’s term, ending Dec. 31, 2010.
Holcomb left the county at the end of December to take the fire marshal post in Forney.
Furrh has 33 years of experience as a firefighter and fire investigator, County Judge David Holstein said.
The bulk of his experience comes from his work with the Garland Fire Department. Furrh also holds advanced certifications as an arson investigator and is qualified to teach firefighting training, Holstein said.
“We had a four very qualified individuals. This was a tough decision, but tough decisions are part of the job,” Holstein said. “We feel it is in the best interest of the county to bring in his experience.”
In other business, commissioners:
• canceled the regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 9.
• set a public hearing to vacate Lot No. 3 in the Moonlight Bay subdivision in Precinct 1, along with a 68-foot easement on the east end of Starlight Drive, adjacent to the lot for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.
• heard three appointments to the Emergency Service District No. 2 board of directors in Payne Springs will need to be filled during the Feb. 16 meeting.
Those interested in serving should contact Precinct 2 Commissioner Wade McKinney or the county judge.
• accepted a preliminary plat for Phase II of Brown’s Landing on Lake Palestine, with several variances to the new subdivision guidelines.
Engineering consultant Chris Weeks reported the variances were minor and deserving, since the 39 half-acre lot project (Phase II) was well in the planning stages before the county approved new subdivision regulations. The complete project includes 79 lots under developer Gary Brown.
“This is the first we’ve passed under the new rules,” McKinney noted.
• paid 2009 bills totaling $60,378.02, and 2010 bills totaling $283,115.22.
More than half that amount is coming from the Sheriff’s Office budget to buy seven Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars at about $22,000 each, or $154,000.

Come Adopt Us At The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake
The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on. My name is Domino, and I got my name not only because I’m black and white like a domino tile, but also because my outgoing, cheerful personality causes my doggie roommates to smile. This also causes our human friends to smile, which even causes the kitties in the cat room to smile. I am an 8-month-old male Pointer/Terrier mix. I love children, other dogs, and even get along great with kitties. I’ve had all my shots and am ready to be adopted. If you’d like to experience the domino effect, I am sure to put a forever smile on your face when you take me to my forever home. I currently live with a foster family, so if you would like to meet me, call my friends at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake at (903) 432-3422 to make an appointment. You can also email them at dogshsccl@yahoo.com.
	We have many animals at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points in dire need of a good home. Please call or stop by the Humane Society today and rescue one of these forgotten animals. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is located on 10220 County Road 2403 in Seven Points. For more information, please call (903) 432-3422 after 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday and Sunday.
For further information visit our website at petfinder.com