AARP free tax service
AARP tax-aide volunteers continue to offer free income tax help from 8 a.m. to noon Mondays at The Library at Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points on Wednesdays at the Senior Center in Malakoff and the Senior Center in Athens through April 15. For information call Gil Betts at (903) 778-2423.

New Grace Trio
The New Grace Trio will perform at Central Baptist Church, 116 W. Mt. Vernon St., Mabank, during the 11 a.m. service, Sunday (today). Come enjoy Southern gospel singing. No admission.

Humane Society change
The Humane Society board meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at the Dairy Queen, 110 West Cedar Creek Parkway, Seven Points. The community is welcome to attend board meetings held every fourth Monday.

CCL Civic League
The Cedar Creek Civic League meets at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Tri-County Library, Mabank. A Trinity Valley Home Health Care representative is the featured speaker. Guests are welcome. For information call Joyce at (903) 451-3229.

Shelter needs volunteer, canned pet food
The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake needs someone to transport dogs and cats to KCAAP Spay Neuter Clinic in Crandall weekly. This transport is vital to the adoption program. Pickup animals at the shelter on Monday mornings about 8:30 am. check them in, takes about 20 minutes, then return at 3 pm to pick them up and return to the shelter. If you can help out, please contact Krista at (903) 432-3422 or at dogshsccl@yahoo.com.
The shelter also is running very low on canned dog food. We prefer lamb and rice or chicken and rice puppy and adult canned dog food. But we are very grateful for any donations.
HSCCL just received word it has been accepted as a SPCA Transfer Partner. This means pets can be taken to SPCA of Texas new McKinney adoption center and the Jan Rees Jones Adoption Center on a weekly basis. This will provide another great avenue to save more lives.

CCL Women’s Club
The Cedar Creek Lake Women’s Club meets at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, and doors open at 10:30 a.m., at the Cedar Creek Country Club in Kemp Dr. Rose-Mary Rumbley will present the program, “My Thoughts Be Bloody.”

Kiwanis night at Chili’s
Bring your flyer to Chili’s from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, for a 10 percent of sales donated to the Kiwanis Club of Cedar Creek Lake. Chili’s does the cooking while you support your club. Chili’s is located at 1261 W. Main St. Gun Barrel City. For information, call (903) 887-0572.

Annual PS water supply
The Payne Springs Water Supply Corporation annual membership meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, at the PS Water Supply office, 9116 Frazier Ln., located off SH 198 South. Members are urged to attend. For information, call (903) 451-5300.

GBC First Assembly
The First Assembly of God Church, Gun Barrel City, welcomes new pastor and his family. Pastor Tim Howard of Eustace begins his ministry in the 10:30 a.m. Sunday, March 4 service. The church is located at 721 W. Main St.

Kemp First Assembly
The First Assembly of God Church in Kemp is celebrating its homecoming service at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 4, and at 2 p.m. with a dinner served between the two services. The event will also be the 23rd anniversary for Pastor and Sister Smeal at the church.
A guest speaker and singer from Houston will be featured. The church is located on Business 175, next to the Kemp fire station.

CC Model A Club
The Cedar Creek Model A Club meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 6 (first Tuesday of the month), at the Dairy Queen in Seven Points. Visitors are always welcome and you do not have to own a Model A to join.

Eustace hosts MADD
The Eustace VFD will present a victims impact presentation by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), at 7 p.m. Monday, March 5, at the fire station. The department invites members of the community to help them fill the station to standing room only.

PSUMC fellowship night
The Payne Springs United Methodist Church is hosting a performance by the Mabank Panther Edition at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, following the 6:30 p.m. covered dish dinner. The church is located at 9667 SH 198, across from the Payne Springs VFD. For information, call (903) 451-3131 or (903) 451-2978.

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Voter registration cards delayed but intact
 Monitor Staff Reports
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–Voter registration cards for Kaufman and Henderson County residents might have expired in December, but their registration did not.
Voter registrars for both counties attribute the delay in posting new voter registration cards to the ongoing litigation and negotiating new district boundaries.
Once a ruling is settled up, new cards will be mailed out, Kaufman County’s Dick Murphy and Henderson County’s Denise Hernandez agree.
Voters who are currently registered but do not have any changes to their voter registration (i.e. haven’t moved or changed name), do not need to take any action. Their cards will be automatically renewed.
Voters who remain in their county registration but have changed residence address or name will need to submit their updated information to their county voter registrar.
Those who have changed their county of residence will need to submit a new voter registration application no later than the 30th day before Election Day. The latest most probable date is May 29, but nothing had been finalized as of Thursday.
In any case, you can also use your old card along with a photo ID.

ECCFWSD plans $1.7 million in improvements
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–A two-part plan for financing $1.7 million in district-wide improvements was approved Wednesday by directors of the East Cedar Creek Fresh Water Supply District.
The plan calls for approximately $600,000 to be budgeted from internal funding and $1.3 million in financing with the issuance of bonds.
Preceding the regular meeting, directors met in a workshop with the district’s financial advisor, Jim Sabonis of First Southwest, who explained the savings the internal funding would provide.
The district’s state rating of A, is very good,” Sabonis said.
“Due to the (current) low interest rates, the bonds will have a very low affect on the debt service for the district,” he added.
The bond application should be quickly approved and funded by early summer, Sabonis explained.
The internal funding for the capital improvement plan (CIP) will cover the replacement of the lift station located in Loon Bay and the bulk chemical tank project, district general manager Bill Goheen said.
The bulk chemical tanks being installed in the near future will result in the district being able to purchase larger amounts of needed water treatment products at greater cost-savings.
Other items approved for purchase and funded by operational reserves include:
• variable frequency drive units for the Brookshire raw water pump station.
• updating the north distribution and collection maps.
• creation of operation procedure manuals for all water and wastewater facilities.
• asphalt for the shop/utility service center road and installing electronic security gates for all facilities.
Projects targeted under the $1.3 million bond issuance involve the new lift station at Starboard and Bay Court roads in Harbor Point and another in the Oak Harbor subdivision.
Other bond financed projects include:
• two large trailer mounted power generators for emergency power backup.
• a new wastewater sludge filter press.
• a sludge transfer system to pump sludge from the Brookshire WTP to the wastewater treatment plant.
• provide funds to initiate a sanitary overflow program under the TCEQ’s (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) regulations to reduce unwanted rain water flow into the district’s sewer collection system.
In other business, directors:
• approved Conway Company CPAs to perform the annual audit.
• approved Goheen as a voting delegate and director Jerry Cryer as alternate for the Texas Rural water Association convention in March.
• approved an additional $27,000 for the three bulk chemical tanks project for the Brookshire WTP to be paid out of the operating reserve account.
•authorized the general manager to purchase needed property for Lift Station No. 61, not to exceed $3,000.
• approved an interlocal agreement with the district and the city of Mabank for the lending of equipment.
• heard an operations report, as presented by director Richard Watkins.
• heard the review of the financial reports as presented by director Carol Meyer.
She said at the next financial meeting she will be reviewing overages that are reported on several expenses.