01-30-2013-Midweek - Wise County Messenger

C2 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, January 30, 2013WISE COUNTYLooking for a...Mechanic?TrytheSERVICEDIRECTORYInsidetoday’sRoy J. EatonPresident & PublisherP.O. Box 149115 S. TrinityDecatur, TX 76234940-627-5987Fax 940-627-1004www.wcmessenger.comnews@wcmessenger.comBob BuckelExecutive EditorKristen TribeNews EditorFundraiser tobenefit seniorpopulationBY ERIKA PEDROZAepedroza@wcmessenger.comConsider swapping the bag of fastfood you’d normally grab at lunch tohelp ensure a senior neighbor haslunch.That’s the notion behind theWise County Committee on Aging’sSack Senior Hunger fundraiserthis week. Instead of eating out forlunch Thursday, the group encouragescommunity members to bringtheir lunch from home and donatewhat would otherwise be spent diningout to a circulated paper sack.“This may be $3, $5, $10 — anyamount will help feed our childrenof yesterday,” said committee memberMegan Adams.Adams and other members of theCommittee will collect the sacksin the days after, and the proceedswill help fund the various, imperativeservices the committee offersthe senior community. Perhaps thelargest of the ventures is the deliveryof 25,000 meals a year throughMeals on Wheels.Nationally, 8.4 percent of elderlyhouseholds are food insecure.“This means they sometimes donot know where their next meal willcome from,” Adams said.The statistic is apparent on the locallevel, too. Donna Brown, executivedirector of the Committee, said mostof the 90 or so clients who receive assistancefrom Meals on Wheels are atthe poverty level or below.Each meal costs $7.50, whichmakes mel delivery the organization’slargest expense once you factorin the four drivers, four cars andthe associated gas, maintenanceand upkeep.But that’s not all the Committeeon Aging offers. The group alsologs about 700 trips in transportationservices a year and helps communityseniors with miscellaneousexpenses ranging from dental workfor a veteran, to replacing a septicsystem in the home of an 87-yearoldwoman, to prescriptions.“We can’t afford to do a lot, but wedo try to help in any way we can,”said Brown.In all, the Committee operated ona $230,000 budget last year — ofwhich $210,000 was public supportin the form of donations and grants.However, the entity faces an 8 percentcut in federal funds — whichtranslates into close to $10,000— in addition to dwindling donationsfrom the community due tothe economy, Brown presumes.“We understand that all the nonprofitsare hurting, and everyone’sdoing what they can to help,” Brownsaid. “But we have to help ourselves,too.”So Brown and the rest of the Committeehave brainstormed innovativeways to not only raise dollarsbut also awareness of the organization’sefforts.“We’re going to try to do somethingevery couple of months, butnot just fundraisers,” Brown said.“We also want to put ourselves outthere and let people know we’rehere. For some seniors, it’s real hardto ask for help. Most don’t want toask their kids — again because ofthe economy — and most want to beindependent.“But we want all of the seniors ofWise County to know we’re here tohelp as we can. Although we mainlyJOE DUTY/WCMESSENGERLUNCH SACRIFICE — Instead of eating out at lunch Thursday, the Wise County Committee on Aging encourages community members to bring a lunchfrom home and donate what would otherwise be spent to a circulated paper sack as part of Sack Senior Hunger. The fundraiser benefits Meals on Wheelsand the local senior population who might otherwise not have a meal. For a sack to pass around your workplace, call Megan at 940-626-0586 or Donna at940-627-5329.Sacking hungerY KRISTEN TRIBEtribe@wcmessenger.comBob Patterson shared a drop in theucket of information about the UperTrinity Groundwater ConservaionDistrict (UTGCD) at Monday’sounty commissioners meeting.Patterson, manager of UTGCD,aid the organization was createdy the legislature in 2007 to regsterwater wells and control drillngof new water wells. The districtncludes not only Wise County, butlso Hood, Parker and Montagueounties.Patterson said UTGCD registered22 wells in 2012, down slightlyrom 991 in 2011.“We’re down 169 total wells in2012 as a result of the oil and gasslowdown,” he said. “... there’s alsonot been much advancement in subdivisionsin Wise County.”Patterson said the UTGCD wasthe first water district to be givenauthority over oil and gas use by thelegislature.“Initially that didn’t make us realpopular, but they’ve gotten on boardand we work with them daily,” he said.The district estimates that it takes4.5 million gallons of water for onefrack job in the Barnett Shale andmore than twice that amount for afrack job in the Eagle Ford Shale inSouth Texas.“That’s a function of the deeperWISE COUNTYdo Meals on Wheels and transportation,we try to help in other ways.”And committee members knowthe possibilities are more concretebased on successful campaigns suchas Sack Senior Hunger.“The Board of Directors is revampingin various ways,” Adams said.“We want to bring more services tothe aging population that are offeredby area Agencies on Aging in othercounties. Because of this, we wantedto develop a fundraiser idea that isfar-reaching in regards to publicityand in regards to raising actual dollars,like (Sack Senior Hunger).“Simply make this informationavailable to your co-workers bymaking an announcement or hangingthis sheet in your office. Then, onJan. 31, pass around the brown papersack provided and ask everyoneto donate the money they saved bybringing their lunch to work ... ‘Oneof our board members will come pickup the donations by Feb. 1.“We hope this is a jumpstart to avery successful year of fundraising.”For a sack to pass around yourworkplace or any other information,call Adams at 940-626-0586 or theCommittee on Aging at 940-627-5329.Manager gives update on groundwater districtwells, and the geology is vastly different,”Patterson said. “Frackingissues have become premier in themedia, and EPA is stepping in on allfronts and watching the use on hydraulicfracturing, especially here inWise County.”He explained that they work withoil and gas companies to encouragerecycling water and desalination ofwater to be used in fracking.“Essentially, we’re trying to reducethe amount of fresh waterused,” Patterson said. “That will bean ongoing process.”He told commissioners they havea “major public outreach” that involvesadvertising and a mobileeducation exhibit that representsa working aquifer. Patterson saidthey take it to seventh-grade classesin 27 school districts in the area. Hesaid they also show students howhydraulic fracturing, horizontaldrilling and injection wells work.In other business, commissioners: accepted an offer of a quitclaimdeed from Richard Pietila for a 30-foot wide strip of property totaling.292 acres in the Delta Ranch EstatesSubdivision in Precinct 2, approved the final plat for PietilaFive Addition, lots 1-6 in Precinct1, and accepted a bid from Pietilafor property struck from the WiseCounty tax rolls in the NorthwestSchool District.Erika PedrozaEditorialMark JordanVice President/General ManagerBob BuckelExecutive EditorBrian KnoxSpecial ProjectManagerBrandon EvansErika PedrozaEDITORIALKristen TribeNews EditorClay CorbettSports EditorJimmy AlfordMack ThweattJoe DutyPhotographerBUSINESS OFFICEKristi BennettBusiness ManagerADVERTISINGLisa DavisAdvertising ManagerKen RoselleSenior Account ExecutiveLori White Laura BelcherKelly GuessCLASSIFIEDSDonna BeanPRODUCTIONTodd A. GriffithProduction Manager/WebmasterAndrew MayVideographerPierre MouaPeter FrancoSUBSCRIBER SERVICESRoger WeberDale JamisonBrenda JewellCirculationBrandon EvansEditorialJesse MathenyJames CraftSUBSCRIPTIONS$37 a year In-County$43 a year Out-of-County$49 a year Out-of-State$25 Digital Subscriptionwww.wcmessenger.com/subscribe________________________________Name________________________________________________________________Address________________________________City St. Zip________________________________Phone________________________________EmailMail to:Wise County MessengerPO Box 149, Decatur, TX 76234or call 940-627-5987TIP LINE:E-mail:tips@wcmessenger.comSUBMIT NEWSSubmit News, Sports, Letters tothe Editor, Lifestyle, Obituaries andUpdate items onlinewww.wcmessenger.com/submitADVERTISINGContact Lisa Davis, Lori White,Kelly Guess or Laura Belcherat 940-627-5987www.wcmessenger.com/advertisingUSPS Publication No.688940ISSN 0746-8679The Wise County Messenger (ISSN 0746-8679) is publishedWednesday and Saturday by Wise County Messenger, Inc.,P.O. Box 149, 115 S. Trinity St., Decatur, Texas 76234-0149.Periodicals class postage paid at Decatur, Texas. Subscriptionrates: one year in Wise County $37; one year out of county $43;one year out of state $49.An erroneous refl ection upon the character, standing orreputation of any fi rm, person or corporation, which appearsin the columns of this paper will be corrected upon due noticegiven to the publication at the Messenger offi ce.Postmaster: Send address changes to: Wise County Messenger,P.O. Box 149, Decatur, Texas 76234-0149. 940-627-5987.http://www.wcmessenger.com. E-mail: news@wcmessenger.com.© 2012 Wise County MessengercirgiraCbmhaignTawitnsoscdtst