People, Places & Events

Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
AT RIGHT: Power shovels eat away at a 3,500 yards of asphalt pilings, while Henderson County trucks line up Dec. 1 to cart away the windfall from the state at the intersection of U.S. 175 and Pickens Spur (C.R. 2329). Each precinct will get about a fourth of the pile, Precinct 2 Commissioner Wade McKinney said, with some also going to repairs at the County Fairgrounds.

The Henderson County Library Board saw four of its members reappointed to two-year terms ending December, 2012: Stewart Cochran of Malakoff, Charlotte Owens, Dan Weber and Terry Warren, all of Athens.
Commissioners commented that Cochran, board president, is always involved in Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library fund-raisers and events.
“I think he’s been doing a fine job,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Joe Hall said.
Henderson County Emergency Services District No. 3 in Larue recommended the reappointment of two of its members to an additional two-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2010.
Commissioners agreed and reappointed Kenneth G. Presley of Poynor and Thomas O. Wylie of Larue. The men have efficiently served for four and seven years, respectively, the request noted.
Commissioners reappointed Jimmie J. Wyrick by resolution to serve as a trustee on the board of the Andrews Center for another two-year term, expiring Oct. 31, 2011.
Two names were up for a place on the Henderson County Appraisal District Board of Directors. Commissioners cast two votes for C.A. Hawn and three votes for Ken Geeslin. The official ballot was to be forwarded to its board of directors.
Commissioners changed its personnel policy to more closely align with state and federal law, nixing a maximum of three years of medical insurance payments it now makes to qualified employees retiring from the county.
Retirees lose the benefit when he or she becomes eligible for Medicare or when disability benefits kick in.
Full-time employees hired after Dec. 31, will be eligible to continue their existing medical insurance under COBRA for 18 months at their own expense, upon retiring or leaving county employment, Treasurer Michael Bynum explained.
The effect of such a policy change won’t be seen for another 20 years, he added. The county currently employs about 450 full and part-time employees.
In other business, commissioners:
• renewed the Regional Juvenile Detention Program for fiscal year 2010 with the East Texas Council of Governments for reimbursement of a portion of out-of-county detention expenses.
• approved minor changes to the county’s policy on medical insurance to define eligible retired employees and their eligibility for continued health coverage, as required by state and federal law.
• abandoned a 310-foot by 40-foot easement adjacent to CR 1712 in the Holiday Estates subdivision, located in Precinct 1.
“The easement has never been maintained by the county and never used, Hall said.
• paid bills totaling $160,118.32.

‘Certain as death and taxes’
Certainty of the inevitable demands planning
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
SEVEN POINTS-Dying without a will is costly and can cause family rifts that last a lifetime, members of the Seven Points/Tool chapter of the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce heard Dec. 2.
John Andrews, a lawyer specializing in estate planning and a lake area resident, explained the effect of 
• changes in estate tax rules,
• the probate process,
• asset protection through various trusts, partnerships and marital property agreements, as well as
• living trusts, and other
• important documents, every adult should have.
Andrews told of a 28-year-old man who, while doing some repairs on his house, became incapacitated.
“His wife couldn’t even sell vehicles he owed,” Andrews said. “It was a mess.

Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
AT RIGHT: First National Bank of Kemp president Jim Taylor (right) introduces estate planner John Andrews as the guest speaker at a chamber chapter breakfast Dec. 2 at Dairy Queen in Seven Points.

“Further, family members couldn’t agree on the medical decisions that needed to be made,” he added.
If the man had prepared a medical power of attorney for his wife or a directive to physicians, it would have been so much easier, he said.
Andrews drew up these types of ancillary documents for each of his children when they reached 18, to protect their assets and to define what would occur if one of them should be seriously hurt or die, he said.
If you already have a will, that will should be reviewed and updated whenever big changes occur, such as a divorce, or acquisition of something promised to a family member upon death, he suggested.
“My own mother died without a will,” Andrews said.
He and his five siblings thought it would be a simple operation of dividing her assets between the six of them.
His sisters insisted that their mother wanted them to have the jewelry and furs, but they didn’t think that should be factored as part of their sixth share, he said.
“And 20 years later, there is still a rift in the family,” he said.
Couples with more than $3.5 million in assets should consider asset protection. Up to that amount, their assets are tax-exempt, he explained. Anything more than that become subject to a 45 percent estate tax, he said.
Trusts protect assets from creditors and taxes. Their growth can also be protected and held for future generations, he explained.
Banking and financial institutions respect trusts better than a power of attorney. It’s something they understand, he explained.
Doctors prefer to use trusts. Assets in them are not subject to lawsuits. However, it is too late to create a trust after a lawsuit is filed, he added.
In the probate process, used when a person dies with a will, an inventory of assets is filed with the court as a public document.
Those wanting to keep their assets private may want to have a living trust rather than a will for this reason alone, he added.
For more information on estate planning, Andrews can be contacted at his Andrews Barth & Harrison office at (214) 369-2929 or at his home at 903-498-8146.

BioTech Manufacturing Center gets $348,479 grant
Texas Workforce Commission awards federal funds to Athens BioTech Manufacaturing Center
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
ATHENS–State and county officials were present to see BioTech Manufacturing Center of Texas receive a $348,479 federal award to provide job training for machinists and engineers in biomedical manufacturing.
“This grant represents an investment in our future,” Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) chairman Tom Pauken said. “We take pride in the fact that we can continue to provide businesses a ready and highly skilled workforce.”
Part of the funding will be used to purchase computerized equipment for the training.
In its first two years of training high school and college student in differing aspects of biomedical engineering, about 90 students have profited by the hands-on training, BMC president Steve Barksdale said during a news conference Friday.
West Pharmaceuticals representative Rick Gillespie said his company would not have a presence in Athens if not for the partnership with BMC.
“We are training tomorrow’s leaders, and utilizing state-of-the-art technology that will enable students to gain valuable experience,” State Rep. Betty Brown said.
“I appreciate TWC’s commitment to collaborate with area high schools and colleges,” Brown added. “I also applaud the work of the BioTech Manufacturing Center of Texas. From its volunteer board to its knowledgeable staff, it remains dedicated to being at the forefront of biotechnology in Texas.”
More than a training center, BMC offers extrusion, manufacture and assembly of parts needed for the production of many medical devices. While it’s doing that, it also offers job shadowing and hands-on training to aspiring engineers.
BMC executive director Sam Austin said the Center employs about 18 bio-engineers and machinists and three full-time teachers for its training component.
Located across from the Henderson County Appraisal District office on Enterprise Street in Athens, the facility was built five years ago with federal economic development funding, Austin said.
“It is among the very few public centers that is registered with the FDA and is ISO13485 certified,” he said.
It is the result of a vision nurtured and worked toward since the 1980s, he added.
“We see the center as a business accelerator,” Austin said. “We offer a product and a trained workforce that will continue to attract business to Athens and Henderson County.”
Trinity Valley Community College president Dr. Glendon Forgey said this is the second year the college has offered biomedical courses.
“Employers call all the time for graduates of BMC to work for them,” Forgey said.
A new program in biomedical mechanical technology is to start next fall, he announced.
“We’re the only city of our size in Texas that has a hospital, community college, freshwater fisheries center, arboretum and a BioTech Manufacturing Center,” Barksdale said. “We want to see the vision of this project continue and grow.”

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