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Malakoff man gets legislation filed

Malakoff resident Clint Stutts (far right) stands in the Texas Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 8, before the 83rd Legislative Session convened. He is joined by friends from Ellis and Tarrant counties, most of whom are involved with a bill Stutts helped write to nullify the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. (COURTESY PHOTO)
Malakoff resident Clint Stutts (far right) stands in the Texas Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 8, before the 83rd Legislative Session convened. He is joined by friends from Ellis and Tarrant counties, most of whom are involved with a bill Stutts helped write to nullify the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By mvhannigan

Congratulations to Malakoff’s Clint Stutts on getting his nullification bill filed. Nullification is the idea that states have the power to invalidate any federal law which the state deems unconstitutional.

The bill, HB 3785, was written by Clint, along with several others. It was filed by State Rep. Charles Perry last week.

I don’t know if the legislation will pass, but I know Clint put a lot of work into it, and just getting it filed was a huge step … so congratulations, Clint.

I wrote a story back in January describing the legislation and the reasons Clint is involved, which you can read here. 

AMA: How much will it cost to run the splash pad?

By mvhannigan

AMA stands for “Ask Michael Anything,” and is a chance for readers to ask reporter Michael V. Hannigan questions about Henderson County. Ask questions through our Facebook Page or our website.

QUESTION: Reader Mike Hembree asked about the cost for ongoing maintenance to the proposed splash pad in Athens.

SOURCE: Kim Hodges, who is an Athens Chamber of Commerce board member and the go-to person when it comes to splash pad information.

ANSWER: According to Hodges, organizers have not only talked with the manufacturer, they have had multiple talks with officials in Palestine, Longview and Rockwall, which all have this sort of splash pad, about just the sorts of questions Mike asked.

“We didn’t want to give (Kiwanis) a money pit,” Hodges said.

Let’s breakdown the answer into three parts: Maintenance, water and liability insurance.

Maintenance: One of the biggest costs for maintaining a water feature is usually the filtration system. However, since there is no standing water with a splash pad, there’s no filter, therefore no maintenance cost.

There is also not much to go wrong with the system itself since there are no moving parts. The one thing to watch is the spray nozzles themselves, but there isn’t usually much of a problem there, according to the other cities.

The Kiwanis Club (which leases the park from the city) will be responsible for the actual upkeep of the splash pad, which shouldn’t require much more than going out with some soap and a broom on a regular schedule and washing down the pad.

Water: This is the one big ongoing resource, and the city has stepped up to provide the water. However, it is important to note that city officials have told organizers that the splash pad will be the first thing turned off if we have drought conditions or water issues.

The system itself will be on a 5-minute timer … meaning someone will have to hit the start button every 5 minutes to keep it going. This will stop the water from running when the splash pad is empty. The system will be turned on at 9 a.m. and turned off at 8 p.m.

It is also important to note, Hodges said, that the splash pad won’t be running at all for extended times of the year because of the weather.

Liability insurance: Insurance for the splash pad will be under the policy already in place for Kiwanis Park. For insurance purposes, the splash pad is like another piece of playground equipment.

Obituary: Kathy Tolentino

TolentinoKathy Tolentino of Trinidad passed away on March 7, 2013 at the age of 68.

Kathy was born on June 2, 1944 in Chicago, Ill. to James Webb and Helena Thompson Webb.

She worked for East Texas Medical Center in Athens for 16 years.

Special thanks to Dr. Kenneth Lemmon, Dr. Joseph Martins and Dr. Brian Stone.

She is survived by her daughter, Hephzibah Ochoa; faithful companion, Maggie; best friend, Mary Massey; sisters, Lynn Hammani, Sue McCanless and Betsy Highland; brother, Mark Webb; 10 grandchildren, great-grandchild.

She was precede in death by her parents.

Memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 3 p.m. at Huckabee/Tomlinson Funeral Home in Malakoff.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the St. Jude Childrens Hospital.

On line condolences can be made at www.tomlinsonfuneral.com.

Obituary: Nelda Louise Donehoo Crecelius

Graveside services for Nelda Louise Donehoo Crecelius, 69, of Malakoff are scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at The Athens Cemetery with Larry Fondren officiating.

Mrs. Crecelius went to be with her precious Lord and savior on Saturday, March 9, 2013 in Tyler.

Nelda was born May 13, 1943 in Athens, the daughter of Horase Donehoo and Zepher Skaggs Donehoo. She lived in this area all of her life and married Tim R. Crecelius on July 10, 1965. Mrs. Crecelius was a devoted member of the Living for the Brand Cowboy Church in Athens. Nelda retired from Henderson County Tax Office. She loved to cook, read, and travel to the Hill Country in the spring and to the Ozarks in the fall. Nelda was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and will be missed by all she knew and loved.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Nelda is survived by her loving husband of 47 years, Tim R. Crecelius of Malakoff; two sons, Kelly Crecelius of Burleson, Texas, Kelvin Crecelius and wife Leah of Athens; one brother, Glenn Donehoo of Wink, Texas; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at Hannigan Smith Funeral Home in Athens.

Arrangements are entrusted to Hannigan Smith Funeral Home of Athens.

Obituary: Alma Elmire Creswell

Funeral services for Alma Elmira Creswell, 84, of DeSoto formerly of Athens, are scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Carroll-Lehr Funeral Chapel with Rev. Johnny Morgan officiating.

Burial will follow in Oaklawn Memorial Park, Athens.

Mrs. Creswell was born Aug. 15, 1928 in Kilgore, to the late Buddy D and Maggie Viola Wilbanks Walker.

Alma was a homemaker, and a very loving mother, grandmother, and aunt. She loved cooking and socializing.

She is preceded in death by husband AB Creswell; daughters Judy and Sandy; five sisters and one brother.

Survivors include sons, Ricky Vaughn and Cathey, Billy Vaughn, Randy Vaughn; sister, Kitty Irene Creswell; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews and a host of wonderful friends.

Pallbearers will be Glenn Speake, Brad Lindsey, Joe Lee Holt, Mike Rutledge, Scottie Vaughn, Christopher Irwin and Ronnie Thomas.

Alma’s additional grandchildren will serve as honorary pallbearers.

Family will receive friends at the funeral home Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon.