Category: County

HENDERSON COUNTY – The Texas Department of Transportation has completed or will complete nearly $13 million in construction work in Henderson County by this summer, and there is much more in the offing as the calendar flips to 2014.

The marquee project is the $6.4 million passing-lane project on SH 19 south of Athens. Contractor APAC-Texas, Inc., of Dallas broke ground on the project in November and is scheduled to have the project completed by fall of 2014.

“As fast as we’re growing across East Texas, we’re outgrowing our highway infrastructure,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “SH 19, a two-lane highway with limited passing opportunities, is a good example of that. Fifty years ago, even 25 years ago, that was adequate. Moving forward, it won’t be.”

The project calls for adding passing lanes in various locations between the Coon Creek Bridge and just north of the Anderson County Line.

A second project, which picks up at the southern end of the current project will finish installing passing lanes on the Henderson County portion of SH 19 and proceed south in to Anderson County. That project, estimated at $11 million, is scheduled to let to contract in July and begin in the fall.

Construction crews in 2013 also added shoulders to US 175 in the LaRue area, on FM 773 near Murchison, and on SH 274 between FM 3225 in Tool and SH 31 in Trinidad.

“These projects are relatively small in scope, but are big on benefit,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “Adding just a few feet of pavement between the main lane and the ditch line can mean the difference between a fatal crash and a near-miss. We have a lot of similarly narrow roadways across the Tyler District, and we’re addressing them with similar projects.”

Krantz added the widening project set for Henderson County in 2014 will add shoulders to FM 317 between FM 607 and FM 315 south of Chandler. The The estimated $4.2 million project is scheduled to let in February 2014.

TxDOT contract crews in 2013 also repaired and resurfaced the Athens Square and SH 31 between Brownsboro and Murchison.

Later this summer, TxDOT’s District Wide Seal Coat program is scheduled to seal the following Henderson County roadways:

• US 175 – Between FM 804 east of Athens and FM 315 in Poynor
• US 175 – Between Loop 7 in Athens and UPRR overpass west of FM 1616
• FM 59 – Between SH 19 in Athens and FM 753
• Loop 7 – Between FM 59 overpass and SH 31 West in Athens

Press Release

Assistant County Clerk Leticia Carpenter announced her candidacy for Henderson County Clerk and will be seeking the Republican Party nomination in March 2014. After 23 years as Henderson County Clerk, Gwen Moffeit has decided to retire. Moffeit leaves the county in good hands as Carpenter has been training to take over the reins for the last two years.

Moffeit said, “I knew the day would come that I would retire and I wanted to make sure that the office was left in great hands. I know wholeheartedly that Leticia is the right choice for County Clerk and she will have my complete support throughout her campaign.”

Carpenter was first employed by the Henderson County Clerk’s office in 2001 and promoted to Assistant County Clerk in March of 2011.

Carpenter graduated from Eustace High School and received her Associates in Criminal Justice degree from Trinity Valley Community College in 1999. Carpenter also completed several bachelors’ level courses at Texas A&M-Commerce. Putting education on the back burner with the arrival of her first of two sons, Carpenter began dedicating herself to her career at the clerk’s office learning as much as she could about all aspects of the office. Carpenter’s dedication and loyalty to her office was rewarded in 2011 when Gwen Moffeit appointed her to Assistant County Clerk.

Carpenter’s experience as Assistant County Clerk has given her a front row seat to see what it takes to run a department. Strong work ethic, dedication, standards and ability to serve the county with a servant’s heart are characteristics Carpenter believes have led her to making her decision to seek office as Henderson County Clerk.

Carpenter said, “I will be a great steward for Henderson County and without a doubt have the knowledge and experience to run a great office.”

The County Clerk’s Office is responsible for recording and preserving public records such as Birth, Death, and Marriage licenses. The Clerk’s Office also records and preserves real property records, probate and civil cases, and misdemeanor criminal cases. Carpenter’s role as Assistant County Clerk allows her to work with county commissioners and judges on a daily basis handling county administrative duties. Carpenter believes with the clerk’s office handling so many administrative duties that her strong problem solving and managerial skills help keep the efficiency of daily office operations at a high standard.

Carpenter feels as though her knowledge of all the clerks’ office procedures with the addition of her 13 years of experience in the office makes her the perfect choice for County Clerk. Under Gwen Moffeit’s leadership, Carpenter has been able to gain the necessary knowledge to maintain the Clerk’s office high standards of customer service.

“Maintaining high standards and achieving fiscal responsibilities are key roles all department heads of the county strive for. As County Clerk I want to continue to contribute to the county’s budget by bringing a conservative approach to the use of tax payer’s money,” Carpenter said.

Family plays an important role in Carpenter’s life. Carpenter spends plenty of time in the bleachers at football and basketball games cheering on her two sons, Clay and Cole Carpenter, who both play for Eustace All Sports Association. Carpenter’s husband of 14 years, Roger Carpenter, is a teacher at Eustace Middle School.

When not attending games and practices Carpenter fills another passion such as helping others through different organizations. Carpenter is a member of Grace Fellowship Outreach and enjoys the opportunity the church gives her and her family to participate in various outreach programs they offer. Carpenter serves the County as a member of Kiwanis Club of Athens, a member of the Lone Star Republican Women’s Organization and a member of the Cedar Creek Republican Party where she serves as Vice President on the Fundraising Committee. Carpenter also recently served on the 2013 MADD walk committee.

Judge Nancy Perryman press release

Judge Nancy Perryman announces that she is seeking re-election as Judge of the County Court at Law No. 2.

Perryman was appointed by the Henderson County Commissioners in 2005 to the then newly created court. Perryman was elected in 2006 after winning the Republican primary nomination and was again re-elected in November of 2010.

Perryman cites both her experience and efficiency as reasons to re-elect her. Since taking office she has disposed in excess of 4,000 civil cases and in excess of 10,000 criminal cases. The County Court at Law No.2 is a Statutory County Court at Law and by statute hears both County and District civil cases and Class A and B misdemeanor criminal cases. Judge Perryman also hears Family law cases, Child Protective Services cases, Attorney General’s cases, Adoptions and Terminations, Condemnation cases, Probate cases and Bond Forfeiture cases.

“County Courts at Law are work-horse courts, and courts that actually bring positive revenue to the County,” she said.

Since being sworn in January 2005, Perryman said, “I had the desire and ability to run the newly created court efficiently and the luxury of not inheriting a backlog of cases. A slow or backlogged docket does not serve the best interests of anyone from the litigants to the taxpayers of Henderson County.”

Perryman does not allow justice to be sacrificed for an efficient docket. “Prompt justice is good justice.”

Perryman has maintained a “rolling docket”, almost since taking the bench. A rolling docket is described as “a case set on one of our dockets in November, if not reached, will automatically be put on one of our January dockets and so on.”

Perryman can also take credit for being the instigator of the county wide use of iPads for signing Blood Search Warrants in DWI cases.

“In the past, officers would have to stop in the middle of a DWI investigation and come to the Judge’s home (usually in the middle of the night), sometimes risking officer safety, to have a blood search warrant signed. With the use of the iPads, the officer will call the Judge to let the Judge know that a search warrant is being emailed to them. When I receive the email containing the Affidavit for Search Warrant, the actual Search Warrant and the Order for Assistance in Execution of Search Warrant, I convert it to an adobe document, review it, and if probable cause exists, I sign it and return it to the officer who is typically with a detainee on the side of the road. Both law enforcement and the Judges were astonished at how efficiently it has worked, turning what had been at least an hour long process of getting a judge’s signature into minutes, while keeping our law enforcement officers safe.”

Since taking the bench in 2005, Perryman has seen “a marked increase in drug abuse linking many, if not most, of our crimes back to drugs.” Also disappointingly, she sees drug use as a factor in many of the juvenile cases. In some cases she will drug test the parents before releasing the juvenile back into their care.

Perryman said “it is disheartening to see how many parents of juveniles do not pass the drug tests.”

Perryman believes that she has the qualities that are important for a judge of objectivity and open-mindedness while being patient in sifting through the facts seeking justice.

“I would be honored to continue to serve as Judge of the Henderson County Court at Law No. 2,” Perryman said.

Perryman graduated from the University of Texas and St. Mary’s School of Law. She is married to Kris Perryman and they live in Athens.