People, Places & Events

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Lake Area
Billboard
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 OranWhite 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.

Jail refinancing talk
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KAUFMAN–As interest rates plummeted during the past few years, many homeowners rushed to refinance their homes, thus reducing mortgage payments, as well as the amount of interest charged.
Monday, Kaufman County Commissioners heard how the same thing could be done with the current bonds financing the jail.
Commissioners authorized the issuance of general obligation bonds prior to the maturity of those currently held on the jail.
The interest rate could be reduced from 4.5 percent to less than 1 percent.
Commissioners would also authorize County Judge Wayne Gent or auditor Hal Jones to approve the necessary terms and procedures.
George Williford, with Southwest Securities, and Tom Pollan, with Bickerstaff Law Firm, explained the procedure.
“With interest rates dropping, it makes sense to authorize the (general obligation) bonds,” Williford said.
The advantage of appointing the judge or auditor to handle the sale is so immediate action can be taken when the market’s fluctuating interest rate sinks to its lowest point.
“This way, we can wait several days, if needed, to take advantage of a very low rate,” Williford said.
Interest rates can change from moment to moment, he added.
The current bonds total about $14 million and are set to pay off Feb. 15, 2022.
In other business, commissioners:
• approved an interlocal agreement with the city of Mesquite to regulate new construction of on-site sewage facilities (septic systems) in Mesquite that are also within the county.
• approved using Verizon Wireless as the Air Card provider.
• approved Tyler E-Pay for automated payments for all county courts.
• authorized the judge to sign engagement letter to Henry & Peters to conduct an independent annual audit.
• approved electronic recording requirements with Property Information and the County Clerk.
• agreed to advertise for road materials for all precincts. Bids will close at the South Campus at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8.
• renewed the annual HVAC services contract for heating and air conditioning needs for $32,205 per year.
• discussed selling 15 of the 60 acres the county owns next to the junior high to the Kaufman Independent School District. Commissioners agreed to wait for an official appraisal before continuing discussions.
• approved membership in the National Association of Counties with $1,286 annual dues.
• appointed Precinct 2 Commissioner Ray Clark as to represent the county as a member of the Kaufman Area Rural Transportation Board of Directors.
• replaced Precinct 3 Constable officer Angela Hobbs with reserve deputy Angela Willie, and named Stacy Zajac and Joseph Sharp as reserve officers for the Precinct 4 Constable.
• approved the resale of tax property in the Breezy Hill addition in Terrell.
• proclaimed the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
• paid bills totaling $871,951.74.

Clean water the natural way
Research and educational opportunities available at John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
By Linda K. Holt
Monitor Staff Writer
COMBINE–The John Bunker Sands Wetland Center opened for the first time to the general public Saturday just outside Combine in Kaufman County.
The unique nature preserve includes nearly 2,000 acres of submerged grasslands, which acts as a natural filtration system for the waters of the Trinity River.
The 5,400-square-foot visitors center includes a classroom, lab and observation decks for group education.
Among the exhibitors during the open house was The Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. Wetlands like these are very important to a wide variety of birds, including the red-tail hawk and barred owl.
The Texas Honeybee Guild of Dallas also had a display of bees that were rescued from the center itself. Its presentation covered the importance of bees to our society.
Famed scientist Albert Einstein once said “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.”
Visitors were also treated to guided tours of the wetland area adjacent to the center. Boardwalk paths zigzag out over the water giving visitors an opportunity to see wildlife up close.
Volunteers brought out two of the classroom inhabitants for a closer look and touch.
Young and old alike were excited to have a close encounter with a corn snake and a hog-nose snake.
The large white intake structure that pulls water from the Trinity River into the wetlands can be viewed to the north by motorists driving west along U.S. Highway 175 between Crandall and Seagoville.
This is just the tip of the wetland area. The water works its way through the 1,840 acres to be filtered by nature, not man.
Once it is cleansed, it is pumped through a 43-mile pipeline north to Lake Lavon.
From there, it is treated for municipal water supply.
Currently, the center is open by reservation only to educational groups and researchers.
The center staff hopes to be open to the public by this coming January.
More information can be found at www.wetlandcenter.com.

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