People, Places & Events

Cedar Creek Lake is source of water
for thousands, chamber told
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–Flowing through 180 miles of pipeline, water pumped from Cedar Creek and Richland Chambers lakes supplies 1.6 million people, lakes manager Buckley (Bucky) Butler said.
Butler was the keynote speaker at the monthly luncheon of the Greater Cedar Creek Lake Chamber of Commerce, Oct. 9 at Vetoni’s Italian Restaurant.
“While humanity can survive for years without electricity, one can only last maybe a week without water,” Butler said.
“No matter how bad things get, you have to have water,” he emphasized.
“About 100 million gallons of water a day are pumped from Cedar Creek Lake and 180 million per day is pumped out of Richland Chambers Lake,” he said.
The lake also loses a lot of water through evaporation.
“The evaporation rate is about three times what we pump out in the summer time,” he added.
The amount of water on the earth is limited, Butler said as he provided statistics on the wet stuffs availability.
“The earth has a lot of water but 97 percent of it is salt water, about 2 to 3 percent is locked up in the ice caps and less than 1 percent is left for man,” Butler said.
In the past few years, some areas are sending used water back to their lakes.
For instance, water is being taken out of the Trinity River through a series of wetlands and sent back to Dallas lakes, Butler explained.
As an example, he described the wetlands project on U.S. Highway 175 near Crandall, on the East Fork of the Trinity.
The water is pulled from the Trinity and after it settles on the land, and the unwanted sediment settles, it is sent farther on to four to six “cells,” he said..
By the time it gets to the pump station, it is clean enough to send into the lake.
“Then pumps take the enhanced treated water and delivers it to a lake,” Butler added.
“We’re trying to find new ways to increase our yield (the amount of water pumped and sold from the lake). We’re not making new water, we’re just recycling it, he explained.
State Representative Betty Brown was also a guest and gave a short, two-minute talk on the bill she is working on, the requirement for a photo identification to vote.
Brown pointed to the many other events that required IDs even to checking out a library book.
The problem of illegally voting is happening all over the nation, she said, therefore it should not be a partisan issue.
“But it failed by a partisan vote,” she said.
In other business, it was announced:
• Five O Dezyn.com was named Business of the Month.
Owned by Cheryl Voris, the firm produces website designs/hosting, including the Chamber’s website.
• Cornerstone Business Solutions sponsored the luncheon.
• the Tool/Seven Points Branch of the Chamber hosted the luncheon.


Monitor Photo/Barbara Gartman
State Rep. Betty Brown explains the voter identification
bill to Chamber members during the October Monthly
luncheon at Vetoni’s Italian Restaurant .

Saving for college just got easier
Texas Tuition Promise Fund open enrollment period now until February, 2009
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
AUSTIN–The rising cost of obtaining a college education has just been stopped in its tracks with a new prepaid program for Texas residents.
Comptroller Susan Combs recently introduced the Texas Tuition Promise Fund.
The all-new prepaid college tuition plan lets families save for tuition and required fees at current prices of public colleges in Texas, and offers many flexible options to enable prepayment of those expenses before a child is ready for college.
“You can prepay a four-year degree all at once, or in small bites – for just a few classes or semesters. And, best of all, you don’t have to worry about future tuition increases, because you lock into current prices,” Combs said.
The program offers three levels of pricing to prepay undergraduate tuition at community colleges to four-year state universities. The money may also be used at out-of-state or private universities, with students and their families making up for the difference in cost.
The current enrollment period runs from now until Feb. 28, 2009. Parents of a newborn can pay as little as $15.16 a month until high school graduation to prepay a year of tuition at a community college.
Parents of a 7-year-old may prepay the average cost of one year’s tuition at a four-year Texas university over 10 years at $81.53 a month. Grandparents may provide the same monthly payment to get the child through the second year, etc.
Prepaid tuition accounts must be paid in full and open for at least three years before tuition benefits can be paid, a feature that encourages parents to begin saving early, Combs said.
Once enrolled with an account in the plan, a payment as low as $15 could be made at any time.
“Starting early makes saving for college more affordable,” Combs said.
Additionally, studies show that regardless of a family’s income level, the children of parents who start saving early are more likely to have high academic achievement throughout their school years.
“It increases the children’s expectations of going to college and achieving their dreams,” Combs said.
Today, the well-paying, high-value jobs boosting the economic engine of Texas require more than a high school diploma.
Texas’ top 25 occupations adding the most jobs, and requiring an associate/post-secondary education, offer an average salary of nearly $42,000 per year.
As Texas grows, nurses and other health-related professionals will be in demand. There will also be a great need for preschool teachers, mechanics, computer support specialists, legal assistants, real estate agents and more, she said.
The program funds college undergraduate tuition and required fees only. It does not cover room and board, books and other expenses.
“The good news is, Texas offers two college savings plans, the Texas College Savings Plan and the LoneStar 529 Plan, to help families save for expenses not covered by the Texas Tuition Promise Fund,” Combs said.
“These plans let college savers invest in a variety of funds geared toward families’ different financial situations and savings timelines,” she explained.
To help families flesh out the details and options available to pay for college a new website has been opened.
The Every Chance, Every Texan portal leads parents to everything they need to know about paying for college, including the Texas Tuition Promise Fund, state-sponsored college savings plans and other sources of funding, such as scholarships and student loans.
The site is a one-stop resource for Texas college and technical school admissions requirements and financial aid contacts.
It also includes tools to help families calculate college costs and determine whether they are saving enough money to meet their goals.
“Being ready for college when your children are takes time and careful planning,” Combs said.
“EveryChance EveryTexan.org offers clear, easy-to-understand information to help families stop feeling overwhelmed and get moving toward their goals,” she said.
Enrollment forms are available electronically at the website EveryChanceEveryTexan .org, or by calling 1-800-445-GRAD (4723).
The 80th Texas Legislature created the Texas Tuition Promise Fund by approving House Bill 3900, written by Rep. Geanie Morrison et al and sponsored by Sen. Forence Shapiro.

5K walk/run planned at Pinnacle Club
Special to the Monitor
PINNACLE CLUB–A 5K Cancer Awareness Walk and Fun Run is planned for Saturday, Oct. 18.
The event is hosted by the Pinnacle Golf & Boat Club.
Everyone is invited to attend and take part in this worthwhile cause.
The entry fee is $25 and all proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The fee includes breakfast, lunch and a T-shirt.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Pinnacle Pavilion.
Also included in the fund-raiser is an all-day silent auction.
For information call the Pinnacle Golf & Boat Club at (903) 451-4653.