Trinity County News - Breakout

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Trinity County Tax Assessor/Collector Nancy Shanafelt donates funds to Trinity County Child Protective Services. Courtesy photo

By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — The Trinity County Commissioners Court approved a contract with the city of Groveton for law enforcement protection, with less of the fireworks from the previous meeting but with additional funds requested by the court.

The new contract, approved at the regular meeting on Feb. 27, contains an additional $5,000 for fuel costs.

The additional funds were a source of contention between the county and Sheriff Woody Wallace, so much so that County Judge Danny Martin said at the beginning of the meeting that Robert’s Rules of Order will be strictly enforced.

Commissioner Mike Loftin said during public comments that after the last meeting, he was bombarded by phone calls asking him why the court meeting was like a circus. Because of that, he urged Martin to take back control of the meetings.

“We need order, and we need respect for the court,” Loftin said.

Also during the public forum, Wallace said he chose to speak then because he felt he was intentionally being left out of negotiations, and he wanted 3 uninterrupted minutes to make his case.

Wallace said the additional funds requested by the county had already been factored into the original contract, and that the residents of Groveton pay taxes that benefit the county as well. He also said that the county, by changing the terms of the contract, will give the impression that the sheriff is not as good as his word.

“This contract will benefit the county more than the city, because we’ll get more deputies out on the street,” he said.

He said it was the intention of the court that the additional money would be placed into the general fund and not the budget for the Sheriff’s Office, which actually contains fuel funding.

The contract was designed to provide much-needed law enforcement for the city, and the two additional deputies that were to be hired would become city police officers once the contract has expired, Wallace said, and that the county needed to approve the agreement as it was originally presented.

Martin said during the contract debate that the negotiation shouldn’t have been a big deal, but Wallace made it that way.

Wallace left before County Attorney Colton Hay could say the reason the Sheriff’s Office was removed from the contract is that it cannot enter into such agreements, only the court could.

Wallace said after the meeting that the contract as originally designed was to provide the necessary enforcement, while also saving the city money so it can work on infrastructure needs in the ensuing two years. It would provide a deputy providing law enforcement within a 5-mile radius of the city and would have the assistance of the full department.

Wallace said he had two viable candidates ready to hire, but now they have gone since they could not wait around for the negotiations to conclude.

“Knowing I’ve already given my word to the city council, I’m not sure what they were trying to do,” Wallace said. “It’s really aggravating. I’ve already got to provide law enforcement, and this would have put two more officers on the street. Why negotiate it?

“Never in my life have I seen a group of people try to run other people’s offices,” he said.

At the court session, Groveton Mayor Ralph Bennett urged the commissioners to abide by the original agreement.

Martin said the county would not consider the original agreement as fuel costs have risen; Loftin said that $5,000 is nothing given the city has a $250,000 budget for law enforcement.

“This minimal add-on is to ensure the county doesn’t spend money it shouldn’t,” Loftin said.

Commissioner Neal Smith said the county did not mind helping, but it shouldn’t be at the county’s expense.

The contract was approved with Commissioners Tommy Park and Steven Truss voting against it. It now will be presented to the Groveton City Council for their approval.

In other business, the county:

•approved an agreement with PHI for allowing payroll deduction for an option to expand coverage;

•approved accepting credit card payments at the District Clerk’s Office;

•appointed Nancy Shanafelt as Texas Association of Counties Healthy County Wellness sponsor;

•awarded the bid for grant management to GrantWorks for the Home Investment Partnership Grant Program;

•approved seeking bids for grant administration for the Trinity County Hazard Mitigation Plan, and for engineering services for the Water SMART Planning and Project Design Grant;

•approved a donation of rip wrap from Hawg Heaven; and

•approved enrollment of county employees in the TAC Cybersecurity Training Course.

 

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By Tony Farkas

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GROVETON — There is very little different in the county’s representation following the March 5 primary election.

Incumbent Pete Sessions has the GOP nod for District 17 U.S. Representative, receiving 67,639 votes to challenger Joseph T. Langone, who received 5,871. He will face Mark Lorenzen, who gained 13,837 in his unopposed bid for the Democratic candidacy.

Incumbent Trent Ashby’s 2,323 votes outpaced challenger Paulette Carson’s 550 in the county, and Ashby went on to win the nomination in the District 9 State Representative race 24,268 to 5,274. The win guarantees his election as there are no Democrat candidates.

Ashby said it is the honor of a lifetime — one he does not take lightly — to have earned the trust of the folks living in House District 9 to continue serving as their voice in Austin.

“From the very onset, this campaign has focused on delivering a positive message to voters, and I’m pleased to see the voters of House District 9 reaffirm our message by overwhelmingly rejecting the critical cynicism that occurs far too often in our political process,” he said. “I’d like to thank my wife and my family for their support, my staff for their hard work and dedication, and most importantly, the good people of Angelina, Houston, Polk, San Augustine, Trinity, and Tyler counties for their support.”

Ashby said he will work to represent Deep East Texas with honesty, integrity, and humility to promote and protect the interests of the region.

In other contested races, incumbent Neal Smith won over Lee McBunch 540-202 for the County Commissioner Precinct 3 post; Mark Jones won over incumbent Carl Casey 488-244 for Constable Precinct 3; and Scott Womack retained his post as Republican County Chair by winning over Stephen McNeely 1,439-1,014.

The Democratic Party had no local candidates on the ballot.

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We are still in anticipation of a move-in date to the new library location. We are ready when the time is right. I know there are many who still have books to donate. Your librarian does want the books but I understand if you can’t store them any longer. I will let everyone know when we have a definite move-in date.

Your library has been gifted almost all of the shelves that will be needed for the new location. Carol L. Dennis, a local author and educator, has graciously donated her collection of books and shelves. Mrs. Dennis wrote the books “Dragon’s Pawn,” “Dragon’s Knight” and “Dragon’s Queen.” Our library is so blessed to have people who appreciate our library enough to help with needed items such as shelves.

Mrs. Dennis also donated four items for a raffle fundraiser. The prizes that will be offered are a Flambro Kaleidoscope with brass nameplate, a Thomas Kinkade Bible, a set of 12 75 Years of Little Golden Books and “Time Life Books – Life Goes to The Movies” published in 1975 with velvet book binding. The tickets will be sold for $5 and the drawing will be held in December at the Christmas open house on Dec. 20.

•Our New Building Fund balance is $6,515.93. We still need donations to purchase a few items for the other building. Our 1 Million Pennies Fund Drive is still going strong. Please save your pennies for the library. We will still take any change you have and any monetary donations you wish to give at this time.

•The library still has a few volumes of “Journey to Jubilee, Groveton, Texas.” These books were donated to be used for a fundraiser and are for sale at the library. They cost $50 each. This would make a great present for someone.

•The Workforce Solutions group will be at the Blanche K. Werner Public Library in Trinity for the next few months until we reopen. If you need their services please go to that location.

•There have been some patrons who need to use the computers for such things as income tax preparation and printing of government forms. The Blanche K. Werner Library in Trinity will be glad to help you. All you need is your picture ID. We are very thankful for their help until we can get back in the new location.

The phone is on vacation, but you can email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We will have a new physical location but our mailing address will be the same

P.O. Box 399, Groveton, TX 75845.

Cathy Czajkowski is director of the Groveton Public Library.

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It is hard to believe that two months of the new year have almost passed, and early voting is nearly over for local office seekers. By the time November comes, I will be sick of politics, but still thankful that I live in America where our vote still counts.

This weekend several events will take place, and March 1 is Friday. I will list some of the events that will take place that you can still attend this week, but some events will be dead and gone.

Also, I am going to list the Trinity Community Calendar presented by the Trinity Peninsula Chamber of Commerce for 2024, even though six major events have passed. When you review this calendar, if your organization is not listed, text me at (936) 537-8171 or email, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your information.

•On Tuesday, there was a meeting held at the VFW Hall on Caroline Street to discuss the making of a movie in Trinity County by Dream Weaver Productions. The movie will be a murder-mystery set in the fall. Areas of interest are the VFW Poat, Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Bridge at the Trinity River, and wooded park sites. They will need extras for the movie. For more information call the VFW Hall at (936) 594-9467.

•On Friday, the Knights of Columbus Lenten Dinner will be held in the fellowship hall at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church on 401 Prospect Drive from 5-7 p.m. You can dine in or take out, and the cost is $12 for adults and $5 for children.

For more information, please call the Most Holy Trinity Church office at (936) 594-6664. The next Lenten dinner is March 1, and the remaining days in March are the 8th, 15th and 22nd.

•The seventh Annual Haley Burk Memorial Foundation is hosting the yearly softball tournament on March 2 at the Stadium Street baseball fields. The cost per team is $200. Please register before Feb. 28 to avoid a late fee. The tournament is co-ed, but ages 15-plus must have a waiver to play.

A concession stand and silent auction is planned for the day, and vendors are welcome for $100 a space. The Foundation will provide the food and beverage booths. Raffles and door prizes will abound. For more information, please call Shane Pringle at (936) 662-8180 or (936) 662-4658.

•Also on Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m. is the Eddie and Maxey’s Afternoon Dance at the VFW Hall. The cost of admission is $12. The band is The Good Timers, and the music is classic Country. For more information call Marilyn Barnes at (281) 782-8309.

•On Sunday, don’t forget the Trinity County 356 Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a barbecue and bingo fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are located at 12427 FM 356 and the cost is $14 per person.

•There is a Cheerleading Clinic for sixth- and seventh-grade students who want to try out for Trinity Junior High Cheerleaders that will be held from March 4-7. Cheerleading tryouts are March 9.

•March 10 is clean-up day at the park (Veterans Black Memorial Park on Stadium Street). Come and go from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Join this workday to get the park looking good for our kiddos who start playing baseball and softball on March 23.

•March 12, 2024, “spring celebration” will host a guest speaker, Suzanne Loftin, at First Methodist Church at 131 N. Elm St. at 6:00 pm. the public is invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served, and door prizes will be given away. For more information, please call Laura at (936) 594-3826.

•TISD spring break is March 11-14.

•On March 16, the Circle of Brothers is hosting a fundraiser for T.J. Allbright’s family at the pavilion at the Trinity Community Center at 640 S. Robb. The event starts at 11 a.m. and the live auction starts at 3 p.m.

Music will be provided by Larry Pelter from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Auction donations are welcome. BYOB. Fajita lunch plates are $15 each, and for more information, call Bobby at (936) 577-2917.

•In the previous issue, I talked about a Classic Car Show to be presented by the Trinity Lions Club. On March 16,2024. However, due to conflicting events we are having a Special Called Meeting to discuss the date and location change on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Watch this space for new information in the next issue.

•On March 16, the VFW is hosting a blood drive at the fellowship hall located at 400 Caroline St. Please call Marilyn Barnes to set up an appointment time at (281) 782-8309.

•Opening day for Trinity baseball-softball is March 23. Schedules will be posted soon. Activities for opening day include vendors, food and games.

•March 17 is the first blood drive of the new year hosted by the Knight of Columbus from the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The event starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Brookshire Brothers on Highway 19 South. Please come give to this much-needed noble cause.